Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — A nonprofit organization says the mother of a councilwoman shot dead in Rio de Janeiro has received a call from Pope Francis.
Fundacion Alameda, whose leader is a close friend of the pope, said in its Twitter account Wednesday that the mother of Marielle Franco talked to the pontiff.
Thousands of Brazilians have taken to the streets to demand answers about Franco's assassination, which shook the nation amid a spike in violent crime.
Franco and a driver were killed last Wednesday after the councilwoman participated in an event on empowering black women.
She was elected in 2016 and had been a vocal critic of the military's takeover of Rio's security.
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.