Ahead of his visit to Brazil in May, the Pope has called for the defence of the Amazon region, describing it as a "common patrimony", writes John Medcraft in João Pessoa.

Urging Brazil's vast Catholic community to participate in their bishops' 2007 Lenten campaign, which focuses on the poor in the Amazon region, Pope Benedict said that defending the lives and livelihoods of the region's people included "the defence of the environment, because this vast territory constitutes a common patrimony that - because of its human, socio-political, economic and ecological reality - requires special attention on the part of the Church and Brazilian society." The Pope also urged new initiatives to proclaim the Gospel in the Amazon and thanked "the numerous courageous missionaries" who have worked there.

Up to a month ago many seemed unaware that the Pope was coming to Brazil, but the well-publicised announcement that he would create the first Brazilian-born saint has raised the profile of the visit considerably. Pope Benedict will canonise Friar Antonio Sant'anna Galvão (1739-1822) when he visits São Paulo on 11 May to open the Fifth General Conference of the Latin American Bishops.

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