Military helicopters flew overhead and police fanned out in force today as Pope Francis celebrated an open-air Mass for Egypt's tiny Catholic community, on the final day of a visit aimed at comforting Christians following a series of attacks by Islamic militants.
Despite the security concerns, Francis zoomed around the Cairo sports stadium in an open-topped golf cart before the start of Mass. The crowd cheered him wildly, waving Egyptian and Holy See flags and swaying to hymns sung by church choirs. The defence ministry's stadium has a capacity of 25,000, but only about 15,000 people attended — a reflection that Catholics represent less than 1 percent of Egypt's 92 million people.
