Parque Samanes is South America's third-largest park and the faithful will be divided into 32 sectors, each of which can contain approximately 40,000 people. The pilgrims have come from all over Ecuador, with thousands of them arriving in town on Sunday, where they spent the night in the park. Pope Francis repeated his line on Monday, rejecting the custom of making people pay for blessings, Masses and sacraments. "I will give you my blessing and you won't have to pay a thing," the Pope told the ill and the elderly present at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Guayaquil. The Pope said: "Now I'm going to celebrate Mass. I will hold each one of you in my heart. I will pray for each one of you. I will tell the Lord: 'You know the number of those who were there'. I will ask Jesus, on behalf of each one of you, to bestow a lot of mercy on you: may He bestow all his mercy on you and take care of you. And I will also ask the Virgin Mary, who is always by His side. And now, before leaving, because this was just a stop before Mass, and the Archbishop is telling me that time is ticking, I give you my blessing and you won't have to pay a thing, although I'm asking you to please pray for me. Promise?." The people present all answered "Yes." Pope Francis, after blessing them, thanked them for the "Christian testimony." (AGI)