Pope comes 'home' to South America to defend planet and the poor

Pope Francis waves as he boards a plane for his pastoral trip, at Fiumicino airport in Rome, Italy, July 5, 2015. REUTERS/Max Rossi

QUITO (Reuters) - Laughing as his cap flew off in the Andean highland wind, Pope Francis flew into Ecuador on Sunday to start a "homecoming" tour of South America, where he will champion the rights of the poor and the planet.

His visit to Ecuador, Bolivia and Paraguay - three of the region's poorest and smallest countries - is Francis' first abroad since his landmark encyclical urging an end to man's degradation of the global environment.