Explosive found at Brazil shrine before pope trip: army

SAO PAULO: A homemade explosive device was discovered in the bathroom of the parking garage of the Brazilian shrine that Pope Francis will visit this week, the military said Monday.

The military said the device was destroyed after its discovery on Sunday at the Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida between Rio and Sao Paulo, which the pope is due to visit on Wednesday.

A Sao Paulo military police spokesman told AFP that the explosive was "insignificant, of low power" and that it was not in an area that the pope or pilgrims would have gone to.

The explosive was found during a security training session.

Some 5,000 security forces are mobilized for the pope's visit to Aparecida in Sao Paulo state. (AFP)