POPE John Paul II left yesterday for Latin America on his 69th foreign pontifical tour as security was stepped up in Guatemala City to receive him one day after an assault on President Alvaro Arzu.
Mr Arzu, who has the support of the Catholic Church, was unhurt in the incident on Sunday when a man tried to drive a car into the horse he was riding. The driver was shot dead by security guards.
The Pope is paying his second visit to three Central American states, Guatemala, Salvador and Nicaragua, and was expected to meet Mr Arzu after landing in Guatemala, a largely Catholic country.
In his first return to the region in 13 years, the Pope is expected to call for more social justice, especially for indigenous peoples as well as raising the themes of democracy and the struggle against corruption, along with his regular religious appeals.
Pope John Paul said yesterday he would appeal for social justice in Central America. "Social problems are problems of the whole world," he said on board the papal flight. "This is a challenge for society and for the whole church. The church's role is to ask for social justice."
Details of the attack on Mr Arzu (49) began emerging late on Sunday. A government minister, Mr Rodolfo Mendoza, said the driver, Mr Pedro Haroldo Sas (24), was unarmed when he tried to run into Mr Arzu's horse as he was riding at a country home near Antigua Guatemala, 45 km west of the capital. He was shot dead by security guards after he ignored their warnings, the Interior Ministry said.
The Minister described the incident as an "attack". Some authorities said the man probably was under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Mr Meadoza's account sharply differed from earlier reports by Emisoras Unidas radio that Mr Arzu had been shot at on horseback by two people on a motorcycle.
The radio said the President's security guard reacted immediately and shot dead one of the attackers identified as Jose Obdulio Villanueva.
The other assailant was arrested, it added.
Mr Arzu has been in office for the past three weeks. His Party of National Advancement (PAN) controls the Congress, holding 43 of 80 seats.
He also has the support of the Catholic Church and enjoys a certain neutrality from the Guatemalan left.
A conservative businessman, he was elected on January 7th after narrowly defeating a fellow conservative, Mr Alfonso Portillo, in a run off.