The Latest: Pope cheered in heart of drug country

Religious men cheer and chant as they await the arrival of Pope Francis at Venustiano Carranza stadium in Morelia, Mexico, Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2016. On his one-day trip to the capital of troubled Michoacan state, the Pope will also meet with youth and pay a visit the Morelia cathedral. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell) Religious men cheer and chant as they await the arrival of Pope Francis at Venustiano Carranza stadium in Morelia, Mexico, Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2016. On his one-day trip to the capital of troubled Michoacan state, the Pope will also meet with youth and pay a visit the Morelia cathedral. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

By Associated Press February 16, 2016 2 min read

MEXICO CITY (AP) – The Latest on Pope Francis’ visit to Mexico (all times local):

9:50 a.m.

Pope Francis has arrived at a stadium full of cheering Mexican priests, nuns and seminarians for a Mass in the heart of Mexico’s drug-trafficking country.

Francis arrived Tuesday in Morelia in the penultimate day of his Mexico pilgrimage. After his plane landed, he cruised through town on a (5-mile) 9-kilometer drive in his popemobile. Thousands of people along the motorcade route waved Vatican flags and cheered wildly as he passed by.

Francis is expected to offer words of encouragement to Mexican clergy as they try to minister to a country wracked by drug violence and corruption.