Pope Francis arrived in Bolivia on Wednesday, praising the government of leftist President Evo Morales, the country's first indigenous leader whose frosty relationship with the Catholic Church has begun to thaw under the Argentine pontiff's papacy.
Morales has nationalized key industries such as oil and gas to finance social programs that have slashed poverty in the Andean country, where animal sacrifices and pagan worship remain widely cherished.
Francis, Latin America's first pope, arrived from Ecuador at La Paz's El Alto airport, at over 4,000 meters (13,000 feet) above sea level, the highest international airport in the world.