Don't be afraid to change the world, pope tells youths at WYD closing Mass

LISBON, Portugal — To end "Catholic Woodstock" -- as World Youth Day has been called by the Portuguese press -- Pope Francis told 1.5 million weary-eyed and sleep-deprived young people in Lisbon not to let their "great dreams" of changing the world be "stopped by fear."

In his homily for the closing Mass of World Youth Day Aug. 6, the pope asked for "a bit of silence" from the pilgrims who, after staying overnight in Lisbon's Tejo Park following the previous night's vigil, at 6 a.m. were already dancing to techno music mixed by a DJ priest before the pope's arrival.

"Let's all repeat this phrase in our hearts: 'Don't be afraid,'" he told the hushed crowd. "Jesus knows the hearts of each one of you, the successes and the failures, he knows your hearts," Pope Francis said. "And today he tells you, here in Lisbon for this World Youth Day: 'Don't be afraid.'"

As dawn broke over the riverside park, pilgrims emerged from tents, tarps and sleeping bags to prepare for Mass. Violeta Marovic, 19, from Chicago, told Catholic News Service that the pilgrims spent the 10 hours between the previous night's vigil and the papal Mass "sleeping very little," dancing, playing games and exchanging gifts with other young people from around the world; she was wearing bracelets given to her by pilgrims from Italy and Poland.

A theology major at the University of Dallas, Marovic said she normally gets "nervous" when she tells people what she studies, but she has been comforted by seeing the huge amount of people so passionate about their faith, noting that young Catholics often "feel alone" when practicing their religion in the United States.

At the front of the crowd, which extended across both banks of Lisbon's Trancão River, 30 cardinals, 700 bishops and 10,000 priests concelebrated the Mass with Pope Francis. Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa was seated in the front row.

Cardinal Manuel do Nascimento Clemente of Lisbon thanked the pope for making World Youth Day an opportunity for young people to come together and build a better tomorrow "after a pandemic that has confined them and otherwise distanced them from each other and from the best (version) of themselves."

Cardinal Kevin Farrell, prefect of the Dicastery for Laity, the Family and Life, which organizes World Youth Day, thanked Pope Francis for bringing together in Lisbon young people "who have been pilgrims of peace in times in which many, too many, wars are being fought in so many parts of the world."

Before revealing the location of the next World Youth Day, Pope Francis invited young people to travel to Rome for a youth celebration during the Holy Year 2025. The next World Youth Day, to take place in 2027, he continued, "will be in South Korea, in Seoul," he said to cheers from the sizeable groups of Koreans scattered in the crowd.

In remarks after Mass, the pope also recalled the suffering of Ukraine and asked young people if he, "an old man," could share a dream of his: "the dream of peace, the dream that young people may pray for peace, live in peace and build a peaceful future."

Using the Portuguese word for thank you -- "obrigado" -- the pope thanked the organizers of World Youth Day, the volunteers who made it possible and the city of Lisbon, which he prayed would "remain in the memory of these young people as a house of fraternity and a city of dreams."

"And 'obrigado' to all of you, dear young people," he said before praying the Angelus. "God sees all the good you are, and only he knows what he has planted in your heart. Go from here with what God put in your heart."

The crowd dispersed after Mass, streaming through the streets of Lisbon, filling closed-down highways while waving the flags of the world.

— Justin McLellan, Catholic News Service

The crowd dispersed after Mass, streaming through the streets of Lisbon, filling closed-down highways while waving the flags of the world.

— Justin McLellan, Catholic News Service

Long after pope leaves vigil, pilgrims carry his message and energy into the night

Long after pope leaves vigil, pilgrims carry his message and energy into the night

LISBON, Portugal — After spending the evening with Pope Francis in a solemn time of Eucharistic adoration and listening to his message during the outdoor vigil, the energy continued to vibrate long into the nighttime at Tejo Park in the Portuguese capital.

A push notification sent at 1 a.m. from the official World Youth Day app politely encouraged pilgrims to "rest and avoid noise. Take time for yourself."

Tens of thousands of young people then also politely swiped away the notification as they continued to dance and sing underneath the cloudless night sky. The mid-70s temperatures were welcomed after record high 100-degree heat scorched the region.

Divided into sections, 84 in total, Tejo Park was transformed into "Campo da Graça," or Camp Thanksgiving, becoming an overnight home for 1.5 million pilgrims.

Some young people kicked around a soccer ball, while others eagerly careened between groups to meet other pilgrims and exchange pins, prayer cards, rosaries and medals. Flags were a popular trading item, often signed and passed along to another pilgrim, then another.

In a corner, underneath a set of white canopies, a group of Croatian pilgrims and clergy quietly unveiled a small chapel with the Blessed Sacrament. People of all ages and all vocations were drawn to the chapel, many kneeling in prayer or standing nearby while simply gazing toward the True Presence.

One woman, standing just off to the side, wiped her tears and smiled.

Not far from the chapel, a group of Irish pilgrims from Galway prepared to sleep, or at least try to. Also joining the young people on the particularly rocky ground was Bishop Michael Duignan.

The Irish prelate had been accompanying the youth during their trip to World Youth Day in Lisbon and chose to be the symbolic shepherd amongst the sheep in an actual field.

Wearing a blue shirt with Ireland emblazoned on the back, Sarah Tighe said she enjoyed being in the presence of the Argentinian pontiff. Using a radio headset, she listened to the pope speak.
"Coming here (to the park) is such a trek, but after having that experience, it only made the pope’s message more clear," the 32-year-old said. "Everything leading up to tonight has had a small part in helping us understand how we are to continue helping each other as pilgrims, especially when we see another’s needs and can help lift them up."

Earlier in the day, pilgrims made their way to their designated sections to await the pope’s arrival. As crowds met other crowds and intersections became increasingly congested, Father Joseph Dutan eventually made it to his new home alongside his fellow pilgrims from St. Brigid Parish in Brooklyn, New York.

Father Dutan said he felt the pope’s message was very impactful, especially the pontiff’s call for pilgrims to meditate about who it was that brought each pilgrim to Christ and his Church.
"It led many into tears in our group," he said. "For me it was my parents. So many memories came up in my mind of my parents of praying together, they taught me to love Jesus and know who God is and the importance of having Our Lord as the first place in our lives."

Father Dutan felt the message "that the Lord loves us no matter what, that He looks straight to our heart," was consistently heard by pilgrims at World Youth Day, and especially at the vigil.

As Father Dutan laid down to hopefully fall asleep, he could undoubtedly hear the consistent drumbeat that reverberated all throughout the park. In what seemed to be nearly every corner of every other section, a loud drumbeat seemed to compete with another set of drums, cheers and songs. Groups shifted between the popular Spanish song, "Resucito," to a singsong Alleluia, and the unofficial World Youth Day theme song, "Esta es la juventud del Papa!" ("This is the youth of the pope!"), and into nearly every other language present, or that could be heard.

Many formed a circle, with pilgrims slowly making their way around in sync with each other, stepping into a long history of the "danza," or dance, a well-known part of the Neocatechumenal Way.

For Debbie Pedroza, a recent high school graduate and pilgrim from a Neocatechumenal Way community from Santa Ana, California, she said the six-hour trek felt like a very long dance: one step forward, two steps backward.

Eventually they made it, and after praying during adoration and hearing the pope, Pedroza took a long-desired nap. Then, after waking up to that same familiar drumbeat just after midnight, she was up ready to join the other pilgrims who opted out of sleeping and stepped into the circle.

— James Ramos, OSV News

'Rise up' to pursue joy, even when you're tired, pope says at WYD vigil

'Rise up' to pursue joy, even when you're tired, pope says at WYD vigil

LISBON, Portugal — After many of the 1.5 million young people gathered in Lisbon's Tejo Park waited for hours in near 100-degree weather to participate in the World Youth Day vigil with Pope Francis Aug. 5, the pope asked them, "Have you ever been tired?"

Even when tempted to "throw in the towel" or stop along the journey of life, the pope said, the young people must pick themselves up and walk toward joy.

"Joy is not hidden, it's not kept under key, we have to look for it," he said, "and that is tiring."

Yet, Pope Francis urged them to "rise up" when they fall along the path toward joy.

Before the pope's improvised speech, synchronized drones flew over the massive crowd, which extended across both banks of Lisbon's Trancão River, forming messages that read "Rise Up" and "Follow Me" in different languages.

After a lengthy tour in the popemobile among the pilgrims, Pope Francis listened to two testimonies from people who talked about how their experience of faith formed their youth. Marta Luis, 18, from Mozambique, told Pope Francis how her home province had been ravaged by a civil war and how her family had to leave her village due to a terrorist attack.

While they were sleeping in a forest after they left their home, "we didn't sleep the whole night, but we prayed the Hail Mary and the Our Father," before trekking to another province where they reached family members and were taken in by a local parish.

"Amid so much suffering, we never lost the faith and hope of rebuilding our life," she said.

Pilgrims had begun filling the park in the morning. Many young people waited as much as nine hours to see the pope, but they remained in high spirits playing games, singing songs and doing the occasional wave.

"Sunscreen and water" were the keys to resisting the Lisbon sun, said Mary Grace Quinlan, 28, from Missouri, who was among the first lined up to see the pope. She told Catholic News Service she was struck by the pope's message during the official welcome ceremony for World Youth Day when he urged young people to know each other by their names and not only their virtual or online personalities.

Almost all the pilgrims near the stage planned to spend the night in the park to save their spots for the papal Mass the following morning. They sprawled across the park on yoga mats and inflatable camping mattresses, some in tents or under makeshift cover from tarps.

After the pope's speech, the 1.5 million people in the park fell into silence for eucharistic adoration, hymns of praise and benediction.

Only reading the first few words of his prepared remarks, Pope Francis put down the text in his hand and spoke openly with the young people.

"Do you like soccer?" he asked the audience to a loud applause. "I like it," he said with a smile, noting that "behind every goal there is much training, behind each success there is much training, and what can I do in life? Train myself."

But the pope added that "there isn't any course on learning how to walk in life," but rather that its learned from parents and grandparents, teachers and friends.

Pope Francis urged the young people to look within themselves and find the "roots of joy" that exist within them, roots planted by the people who have touched their lives.

"We come from roots of joy, and we can be roots of joy for others," the pope said. "Not a joy of the moment, but a joy that gives roots."

— Justin McLellan, Catholic News Service

Pope to young people at WYD: God calls your authentic, not virtual, self

Pope to young people at WYD: God calls your authentic, not virtual, self

LISBON, Portugal — Before a sea of waving flags representing countries large and small from across the globe, Pope Francis told some 500,000 singing, shouting and swaying young people that God has called each person to him by name, not their social media handle.

"You are not here by mistake," he told the mass of people in Lisbon's Eduardo VII Park Aug. 3 for the welcome ceremony for World Youth Day. "You, you, you, over there, all of us, me, we were all called by our names."

While social networks know young people's names, tastes and preferences, "all this does not understand your uniqueness, but rather your usefulness for market research," he said at his first World Youth Day event.

The "illusions" of the virtual world "attract us and promise happiness" but later show themselves to be "vain, superfluous things, substitutes that leave us empty inside," the pope said. "I'll tell you something, Jesus is not like that; he believes in you, in each one of you and us, because to him each one of us is important, and that is Jesus."

Among the young people sprawled across the park under the Lisbon sun for hours before the pope's arrival was 18-year-old Tyler Nguyen from Colorado; he told Catholic News Service that social media posed the greatest challenge to young people practicing the faith, "since Catholics are often perceived online as being extreme."

But in the church, Pope Francis said, "there is space for everyone, and when there isn't, please, let's work so that there is -- also for who makes mistakes, for who falls, for who it is difficult."

Departing from his prepared speech, he asked all the young people to "repeat with me: 'Everyone, everyone, everyone!'" before waves of "todos, todos, todos" -- "everyone" in Spanish and Portuguese -- spread throughout the crowd.

"That is the church," he said, "the mother of all; there is room for all."

Throughout the crowd there were flags from countries with large Catholic populations such as Spain and Brazil, but also proudly displayed banners from countries where Catholics represent a small portion of the population.

Sona Kc, a 26-year-old Catholic convert from Hinduism, was one of four people sitting under the flag of Nepal before the pope's arrival. She told CNS the gathering of young people for the pope's official welcome to WYD was "the most Catholics I have ever seen all together.”

She said she was particularly struck by Pope Francis' invitation for all young people, not only Catholics, to participate in World Youth Day, and appreciates his efforts to involve young people in the upcoming Synod of Bishops.

After a greeting from Cardinal Manuel do Nascimento Clemente of Lisbon, young people read messages in various languages sent to the pope asking for advice and sharing the personal challenges they face in life and in the faith, from migration problems and hunger to hopelessness and a loss of faith.

But rather than give direct responses, the pope told the young people that asking questions is "often better than giving answers, because one who asks remains restless, and restlessness is the best remedy for routine, which is sometimes a form of normalcy that numbs the soul."

Pope Francis urged them to ask never stop asking themselves questions and to bring them before God in prayer. "Life goes on giving answers, we just have to wait for them," he said.

"I invite you think -- this is so beautiful -- that God loves us as we are, not how we would like to be or how society wants us to be, as we are," he said looking up from his prepared text. "He loves us with the limits we have, with the defects we have, and with the desire we have to keep moving forward in life!"

"God loves us like that; believe it, because God is the Father," he said over cheers from the crowd. He then gestured toward an icon of Mary alongside him onstage. "It's not easy," he said, but "we have a great help in the mother of the Lord. She is our mother, too."

— Justin McLellan, Catholic News Service

American youth join bishops for National Gathering at World Youth Day

American youth join bishops for National Gathering at World Youth Day

"Señor, aquí estoy ... Here I am," Jennifer Aguilera sang, transitioning to a famous Catholic song, smiling widely as youth from all corners of the United States came to one of Lisbon's parks for an Aug. 2 National Gathering at World Youth Day.

"Living for your word, I want to say 'yes,' as Mary did, Lord," Aguilera, who is in Lisbon with a group from California, sang, telling OSV News later: "I have consecrated myself to Mary. To me, listening to her and saying my 'yes' to her and to Christ is amazing."

Over 1,300 groups comprised of more than 28,600 individuals from across the United States joined the Portuguese WYD. The U.S. is among the five largest delegations participating in WYD, which is taking place Aug. 1-6 in Lisbon.

On the evening of Aug. 2, they gathered in Quintas das Conchas e dos Lilases Park along with U.S. bishops that greeted them, lining up on the stage and introducing their dioceses. Sixty bishops came to Lisbon from the U.S., and more than 35 serve as lead bishops for the daily catechetical sessions called "Rise Up!"

"World Youth Day is without a doubt a gift, a gift from God inspired by the Holy Spirit through St. John Paul II, and it has been a gift that just continues to give to the church," Bishop Edward J. Burns of Dallas told OSV News. "One of the things I learned when I was working at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is that of all the men who are ordained every year to the priesthood, 35%-38% of them went to World Youth Day. This is such an inspirational moment," he added.

Tony Meléndez, a Nicaraguan-American guitar singer and songwriter who was born without arms and learned to play the guitar with his feet, cheered the youth ahead of the event.

"We come here to energize people. We come here to pray with people. We come here to just be with them in prayer and song. So I'm excited to be here for another World Youth Day," he told OSV News.

Meléndez's life changed on Sept. 15, 1987, when he sang "Never Be the Same," while playing the guitar with his feet in a special performance for John Paul II. The pope, visibly moved, descended from his chair and embraced Meléndez, encouraging the singer to continue "giving this hope to all, all the people."

"The young people are alive. They want to be part of the church. They come in millions, and we just got to give them that opportunity. Do they stray? Sometimes, yes. But we got to keep feeding them spiritually," Meléndez said.

That's precisely what Silvia Torres, a pilgrim from the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, experienced in Portugal.

"World Youth Day in Lisbon is beautiful. It is welcoming. You feel God's presence in every place that you go to, every corner that you turn into, every person that you say hello to, they just greet you and you see Jesus with every person that you meet," she told OSV News.

Her first WYD was in Krakow in 2016, and now in Lisbon, she is feeling most touched by the visit to the sanctuary of Our Lady of Fátima, where she managed to do a pilgrimage on her knees.

"I was able to do it from the beginning up until her chapel. And I did dedicate that for my mom and for her health. And it was a beautiful experience," she said.

"I gave (Mary) all of my worries, all my stress, all my insecurities about the future. And I leave with peace, knowing that she is always looking out for us, that she is always with us. I am blessed enough to have my mom here on earth and my mom in heaven," Torres said.

U.S. Ambassador to Portugal Randi Charno Levine greeted young people at the beginning of the event, with the youth cheering loudly when she said she met Pope Francis earlier during the official welcome. The pope arrived in Lisbon Aug. 2.

Bishop Robert Barron of Winona-Rochester gave a keynote address to American youth.
"Let Christ come to life in you, set your heart on fire and then you'll know who you are," he said. "Through your mission, you will find joy and transfigure the world."

"The Gospel says when you hear about the Lord Jesus Christ, and he takes possession of your heart, you know who you are," Bishop Barron said.

Bishop Burns led the Eucharistic procession at the end of the event. Ahead of the National Eucharistic Revival in the U.S., bishops are encouraging youth in Lisbon to turn to Christ and to bring their problems and confusions to him, especially in Eucharistic adoration.

"What I see are these young people (that) are searching for Jesus Christ. I mean, they want to find him, and they've traveled the world to come to World Youth Day, finding him in the presence of the Holy Roman Catholic Church to celebrate in the person of Pope Francis, the successor of Peter, the one to whom Jesus said, 'Peter, you are rock. And on this rock, I will build my church and the jaws of death shall not prevail against it.' So you look at this church, and it is alive," Bishop Burns said.

In a challenging world, he added, youth need courage and "some of the challenges they have are how to be courageous in proclaiming the truth in the world," he said, adding that the challenge is also how to "work very closely even with their peers in bringing them to the truth and to the church and to our Lord Jesus Christ."

Edgar Mondragón, a young teacher from the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, said that what he would like to bring home from WYD in Lisbon "is to be able to just pour out what I receive here onto the people I work with, my friends, my family, my students."
"It's in giving that you receive. So just be able to give them the love, show them the light of Christ," he said.

Bishop Burns said he hopes young Americans "will bring home an urgency to proclaim the Gospel message," referring to the WYD theme "Mary arose and went in haste."

"There is some urgency in our spiritual lives that I hope that they are attentive to," he said.
Torres shares the feeling and wants to "be a young adult that's energetic and that goes out to the streets and wears Converse and drinks Coca Cola and don't be afraid to be authentic."

Meléndez told OSV News: "I know some will go home, and it might not mean that much to them, but they had a hard time," referring to the hardships of a pilgrimage, which is what WYD primarily is.

"But some will remember this forever. And they take it in their heart and they'll say: 'You should have been there to see millions of Catholics coming from around the world there in Portugal in 2023.' So it's powerful. It changes lives. What changes lives? Jesus," he said.

— Paulina Guzik, OSV News

Don't close yourself off from crisis, pope tells students

Don't close yourself off from crisis, pope tells Portuguese students

LISBON, Portugal — Meeting in a makeshift "Sistine Chapel" painted floor-to ceiling by students, Pope Francis, paintbrush in hand, left a mark on the hearts of young people by telling them not to shy away from the personal crises that come with a life of faith.

"A life without crises is like distilled water, it doesn't taste of anything," he told students gathered at the center of the Scholas Occurrentes educational initiative in Cascais, a town some 20 miles outside of Lisbon.

The pope responded to questions posed by young people from different countries and faith backgrounds in an intimate setting with some 50 people, including Paolo, a 24-year-old Brazilian evangelical who asked the pope for advice on navigating life's hardships.

"I don't want to be a catechist," the pope joked in response before explaining the Bible's creation story, which he said showed how God created the cosmos from chaos. "That's the journey of each person," he said, "a life that stays in the chaotic fails, and the life that never felt chaos is distilled -- everything is perfect -- and distilled lives don't give life."

Scholas Occurrentes, an education initiative long supported by the pope, connects disadvantaged and well-funded schools to exchange ideas and resources and is currently present in 190 countries involving more than 1 million young people worldwide.

Presenting the Scholas center with an icon of the parable of the good Samaritan, Pope Francis explained how people refused to touch the beaten man left in the road for fear of being made impure.

"How many times is ritual purity preferred over human closeness?" he asked them. "Sometimes in life we have to get our hands dirty, so we don't get our hearts dirty."

After speaking with the students, the pope was given a curious paintbrush to make his contribution to the painted wall behind his chair. A high-tech handle connected virtually to a Scholas community in Mozambique allowed students in Africa to follow the pope's paint stroke in real time.

Earlier in the day, the pope visited the Catholic University of Portugal, where he heard testimonies of young people centered on different teachings of his pontificate. Some 6,500 university students, administrators and pilgrims chanted "Esta é a juventude do papa" -- "this is the youth of the pope" -- as the pope approached the stage in the university courtyard.

American flags were hoisted by Texans and Chicago-land natives along the front row of pilgrims waiting for Pope Francis to arrive at the university.

Holding one of them was Carine Milne, a 19-year-old college student at Purdue University Northwest. She told Catholic News Service that she appreciates the attention Pope Francis gives to young people and to making the church more open.

Other people her age, she said, "think the Catholic Church isn't welcoming -- that if you dress or act in a certain way then you're not allowed to participate, but God doesn't work that way."

Speaking to the 700 Portuguese college students present in the crowd, Pope Francis reiterated that message of openness by telling young people that "Christianity cannot be thought of as a fortress surrounded by walls, which raises its bastions against the world."

Likewise, he said, universities must go beyond their bubble and cannot just "perpetuate the elitist and unequal system of the world, where higher education is a privilege for the few."

A college degree, the pope said, cannot be earned solely for "personal well-being," but is a “mandate to dedicate oneself to a more just and inclusive society."

Recalling the testimony of Tomás, a 29-year-old theology student who discussed how the pope's encyclical on integral ecology had impacted him, Pope Francis told the students, "You are the generation that can beat this challenge" of climate change, but he noted that it is possible only with "a conversion of heart and a change in the anthropological vision that is at the base of the economy and politics."

"To be a Catholic university, above all, means this: that each element is related with whole, and that the whole is found in parts," he said before praying an Our Father in Portuguese with the crowd.

— Justin McLellan, Catholic News Service

Awaken the 'weary' church by becoming 'restless,' pope says

Awaken the 'weary' church by becoming 'restless,' pope says in Portugal

LISBON, Portugal — A Catholic Church that has grown weary in countries shaken by the clerical sexual abuse crisis and cultural trends toward secularism must look anew to Jesus to revive their "restless" enthusiasm for sharing the Gospel, Pope Francis said.

"Now is the God-given time of grace to sail boldly into the sea of evangelization and of mission," the pope told Portuguese bishops, priests, religious and pastoral workers after praying vespers at the Jerónimos Monastery in Lisbon Aug. 2, the first day of his trip to Portugal.

Using a wheelchair, the pope entered the 16th-century monastery to great applause, and the cheers that erupted when he stood to greet those present resembled those echoing from the pop concert taking place across the street for World Youth Day.

Pope Francis was greeted by Bishop José Ornelas Carvalho of Leiria-Fátima, president of the country's bishops' conference, before leading the prayer. In his homily, the pope reflected on the passage from St. Luke's Gospel in which Jesus gets into the disciples' fishing boat and invites them to let their nets down in deep water for a catch.

Just as those fishermen didn't catch anything before Jesus' arrival, "there are moments in our ecclesial journey when we can feel a similar weariness -- weariness -- when we seem to be holding only empty nets," he said, noting how such a situation is common in countries with a long-standing Christian tradition but are now experiencing a "growing detachment from the practice of the faith."

Often, he added, the reality of waning church participation in those countries is accentuated by the disappointment and anger people feel toward the church due to "our poor witness and the scandals that have marred her face and call us to a humble and ongoing purification, starting with the anguished cry of the victims, who must always be accepted and listened to."

The Vatican announced later that after vespers Pope Francis met at the nunciature with 13 victims of "abuse by members of the clergy, accompanied by some representatives of Portuguese church institutions in charge of the protection of minors. The meeting took place in an atmosphere of intense listening and lasted more than an hour, concluding shortly after 8:15 p.m."

In February, an independent report commissioned by the Portuguese bishops' conference found that at least 4,815 minors were abused by members of the church in Portugal between 1960-2022, sparking harsh criticism against the church within the country.

Brother Antão Caunan, a Hospitaller of St. John of God who attended the vespers, told Catholic News Service he was "very joyful" about Pope Francis' visit to Portugal, but hoped the pope would talk about the abuse crisis in his homily. Brother Caunan is from Timor-Leste and for five years has been serving his religious community in Portugal, where, he said, the abuse revelations have "changed the perception of ordinary people toward the church" and eroded their trust in the institution.

The pope in his homily urged Portugal's Catholic community to "bring those struggles and tears to the Lord, in order then to respond to pastoral and spiritual needs, together, with open hearts."

Pope Francis said the first step is to develop a strong faith -- and that cannot be done by reciting certain words, "blah, blah, blah," or taking a nap in the sacristy, he said jokingly. He recommended partaking in silent adoration to "truly rediscover our taste and passion for evangelization" that is "without ideologies or forms of worldliness."

With several Missionaries of Charity sitting in the front rows near the pope, he recalled how Mother Theresa always went to adoration even through her most difficult crises of faith.

The pope also urged people to "work together in offering pastoral care," offering the synodal principles of "communion, mutual assistance and shared journey. That is the aim of the current synod."

Looking at the crowd, he said the church must announce the Gospel to everyone -- "everyone, everyone, everyone" -- and insisted the church "should not be a customs office to select who passes and who doesn't."

Maritza Barros, a youth coordinator in Madeira, Portugal, told CNS that some of the 1,000 young people she brought to Lisbon for World Youth Day are thought to be judgmental by their non-Catholic friends for believing in God, and that they respond well to the pope's invitation "to make their faith accessible to all."

The pope's visit to Portugal, coupled with World Youth Day, will "brush the dust off the pews" for young people in the church.

Pope Francis urged church workers in Portugal to continue lowering their nets and being a light in a world that has "lost a sense of enthusiasm, the courage to dream, the strength to confront challenges and to be confident about the future."

To a roar of laughter, the pope ended his homily by entrusting the Portuguese Catholic community to Our Lady of Fátima and St. Anthony, who was born in Lisbon but "was stolen by those of Padua."

— Justin McLellan, Catholic News Service

Pope meets WYD pilgrims from Ukraine, hears their stories

Pope meets WYD pilgrims from Ukraine, hears their stories

LISBON, Portugal — Fifteen World Youth Day pilgrims from Ukraine, most of whom had lost a father or other close relative in the war, had a private meeting with Pope Francis Aug. 3.

"After listening to their touching stories, the pope gave the young people a few words, demonstrating his 'painful and prayerful' closeness,'' the Vatican press office said after the meeting in the Vatican nunciature in Lisbon.

At the end of the 30-minute meeting, the Vatican said, the pope and the pilgrims recited the Lord's Prayer for their war-torn nation.

Speaking to Catholic News Service in Lisbon, Ukrainian Archbishop Borys Gudziak of Philadelphia said the young people told Pope Francis about "what their families have experienced, what the country has experienced" since Russia launched its large-scale attack on Ukraine in February 2022.

"It led the Holy Father to tears," said the archbishop, who was not present in the nunciature but was told about the meeting by people who were there.

One of the young women in the group was introduced to the pope as the wife of an Eastern Catholic priest whose parish church was heavily damaged by Russian bombing, according to a Vatican Media video clip of the encounter. She was accompanied by two of her daughters.

Two young women, dressed in traditional Ukrainian blouses, carried bottles of water to the papal meeting. The pope asked about that.

"It's a symbol," said the priest accompanying the group. The church made major efforts to deliver drinking water to people in Kherson after the Nova Kakhovka dam was breached in June, flooding cities and villages and making their water undrinkable.

"The war in Ukraine is an experience of having death before your eyes," Archbishop Gudziak said, "and Ukrainian young people who are here -- and there are about 600 of them -- are sharing that experience with the people they meet."

Everywhere they go in Lisbon, he said, when other pilgrims see their Ukrainian flags, "they embrace the young people from Ukraine."

The archbishop, who said he has been back to Ukraine six times since the war began, said the experience of death "makes people really savor life; that's my experience."

The people of Ukraine continue to take care of each other, he said. "Despite the fact that there are 6 million internally displaced persons, nobody is on the streets, you don't see many big refugee camps, people didn't freeze after (Russian President Vladimir) Putin knocked out 40% of the energy grid last winter, because the poor are helping the absolutely destitute."

"So, there is death, but there's life," Archbishop Gudziak said.

Living in peace and comfort, he said, "we can get a little bit far from the message of the cross," which is suffering, but also is the path to the Resurrection.

"Where there is death, where there is killing, the cross is very clear and the thoughts, the hope, the desire for resurrection becomes much more passionate," the archbishop said. "This is what the young people in Ukraine are feeling."

The Ukrainian pilgrims' lives are so different from most of their peers in Lisbon, he said, but they are committed to sharing their experiences and trying "to join the joy because that is the sign of the resurrection."

"There is life after the death that the people of Ukraine are experiencing," the archbishop said.

A priest accompanying the pilgrims from Ukraine told him, he said, that the Ukrainian young people are experiencing World Youth Day and Lisbon "as an oasis."

"In their torment, in the storms, in the bloodletting, in the destruction of their schools, hospitals, cities," the archbishop continued, "they've come to a place where the world is embracing them. They are not alone and there's peace and joy."

"I think that Ukraine and the young people of Ukraine here in Lisbon have a special mission to witness to the way the Lord is guiding them through this passion," Archbishop Gudziak said.

Indiana youth reflect on 'life-changing' experience in Lisbon

Indiana youth reflect on 'life-changing' experience in Lisbon

LISBON, Portugal — Selia Nunez celebrated her 16th birthday two weeks ago, and now she is in Lisbon, enjoying her first World Youth Day. "I just made the cut," she said. It was her grandparents who wanted her to come to WYD, and she traveled with five other young people from her parish, St. Michael Catholic Church, in Plymouth, Indiana.

"Just seeing the whole world come together to celebrate one thing is almost overwhelming, but in a good way,” she said.

Nunez is keeping a log of the trip, and she already has a notebook full of notes to share with her youth community back home.

"I've been writing down everything that happens," she told OSV News. "So I don't miss anything."

The Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend is one of the largest diocesan groups from the United States traveling to WYD, bringing 272 youth accompanied by two dozen priests, and led by Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades.

"They are excited, they are joyful, and they're spending time (in) prayer and also meeting young people from around the world. So it's really been a wonderful first several days here," Bishops Rhoades told OSV News, standing on top of the steps leading to the Church of Our Lady of the Incarnation in central Lisbon, with the yellow trams pictured in every Lisbon postcard passing by.

It's the fifth WYD for Bishop Rhoades, who attended in Sydney, Madrid, Krakow and Panama, but this time, the diocesan group hit record-high participation, doubling the number of attendees from previous pilgrimages.

"I was able to provide a significant amount of financial aid because of the generosity of donors," Bishop Rhoades said, underlining that he is promoting the event in the diocese "because I see the fruits."

"It's an experience that they'll remember for the rest of their lives. And I've seen a lot of young peoples' faith really be deepened and strengthened by being here, because they see young Catholics from around the world who are also strong in their faith, and that encourages them," he said.

"And there's such a joyful spirit with the music and beautiful liturgy … and then just walking together, getting to know each other. I think it is very impactful," Bishop Rhoades added.

The group went to Fatima on July 30-31 to visit the sanctuary where a series of apparitions of the Virgin Mary began on May 13, 1917.

Nunez decided to do a pilgrimage on her knees around the chapel with the famed statue of Our Lady of Fatima, one that carries one of the bullets from St. John Paul II's 1981 assassination attempt in her crown.

"It was amazing … almost life-changing," she said. "It really brought me closer to my faith. I was almost connected with Jesus in that moment, because I could feel that I was giving that up as a sacrifice to him for his sacrifice he gave to us," she said.

Bishop Rhoades added that now, after visiting the famous shrine, he understands the message of Our Lady of Fatima much better.

"The time I spent there being able to be at the chapel of the apparitions, the homes of the children, and just having time to pray and to pray the rosary -- which Our Lady asked of us, to pray the rosary every day. All of that combined to make the beginning of this pilgrimage really perfect for me personally," Bishop Rhoades said.

Karen Pantoja, a 19-year-old from Fort Wayne, had heard about Fatima since her childhood years and had always wanted to come, as she was inspired by the three children to whom Mary appeared.

"They were brave enough to stand (for) their faith. And I just thought, that's so beautiful,” she told OSV News. "Being in the place where the Virgin Mary appeared was really powerful. I felt a sense of peace.”

Bishop Rhoades added with a smile that, when he was traveling to Lisbon, he told the youth he had always felt closer to Our Lady Guadalupe and Our Lady of Lourdes, "and one of the teenage boys said: 'Bishop, it's the same woman!'"

For Nic Mickley, a 20-year-old Purdue University student from Huntington, Indiana, WYD in Lisbon is an "amazing opportunity" to "see more about the faith and see the pope."

"It's something that you can't really imagine. I mean, you can hardly explain it. All the people and the different cultures, you know -- the faith is so strong here," he told OSV News right before entering a catechesis session for his group on Aug. 2.

Mickley is also a fan of Lisbon and its architectural treasures.

"I love all the different styles of churches. They're all so beautiful," he said.

Pantoja also loves the sightseeing part of WYD, but it's the shared faith experience that really struck her during the opening Mass on Aug. 1.

"It was powerful. It was different. It really brought my faith, seeing how many people believe in the same thing … and definitely eye opening," she told OSV News.

Bishop Rhoades said that "families that are active and attend Mass, pray together in the home" are the primary source of strong Catholic communities in his diocese, and the fruit of those strong families is what has led to such a large group at WYD.

"That's the seed really for these young people and their growth in the faith. Then I would say next would be the parishes and schools," he said.

The Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend has 147,996 registered Catholics, 81 parishes and 43 Catholic schools. For Bishop Rhoades, meeting his diocesan youth is a refreshing experience.

"They are fresh in our faith. You know, sometimes as bishops, we deal with a lot of issues and problems, and it can be pretty heavy, the responsibility. So, for me, it's so refreshing to just be here with these young people," he said.

For Mickley, WYD is an experience he'll never forget. "Just amazing stories. I'll definitely be telling these for the rest of my life."

Pantoja hopes to "share my peace and the grace that I've received here with my family and friends. And I hope to pass on the power and the energy that I've received here," she said.

"Something that World Youth Day has taught me is that every day is an adventure and everything is going to be fine at the end of the day because during our pilgrimage of walking, we sometimes get lost," she said. "But at the end of the day, we find the location, and we find our family. Brothers and sisters."

— Paulina Guzik, OSV News

In Portugal for WYD, pope urges Europe to recover its 'youthful heart'

In Portugal for WYD, pope urges Europe to recover its 'youthful heart'

LISBON, Portugal — Arriving at the edge of the European continent for World Youth Day, Pope Francis urged Portuguese officials to return to their maritime roots by setting sail toward new horizons of hope and helping build a Europe "capable of recovering its youthful heart."

"It is my hope that World Youth Day may be, for the 'Old Continent,' we can say the elderly continent" -- he ad-libbed with a smile -- "an impulse toward universal openness."

At a meeting at the Belém Cultural Center in Lisbon shortly after his arrival in the Portuguese capital Aug. 2, the pope addressed Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, other government and political leaders, diplomats and representatives of civil society.

In the face of injustice, wars and the climate and migration crises, he said, the world "needs Europe's role as a bridge and peacemaker."

The pope fought through coughs at the beginning of his speech but otherwise appeared in good health. And on the flight to Portugal, he walked up and down the aisle of the plane to greet journalists rather than remaining seated, as he has done on some occasions.

Before leaving his residence, the pope kicked off the 42nd international trip of his pontificate by meeting with a group of young people from a rehabilitation facility unable to travel to World Youth Day and with three pairs of grandparents with their grandchildren.

On the three-hour flight to Portugal, the 86-year-old pope told journalists that his trip to World Youth Day will "make me young again," and that young people "will continue to shake things up" in society and the church, a callback to his 2013 speech to young people during his first trip as pope to World Youth Day in Río de Janeiro.

Two Portuguese children gave the pope flowers under overcast and drizzling skies upon his arrival at the Figo Maduro Air Base in Lisbon where he was welcomed on the tarmac by the Portuguese president.

People cheered as the pope passed them in a small white Toyota, and they waved flags -- mainly Portuguese, Brazilian and Vatican flags -- along the four-mile route leading to the National Palace of Belém, the official residence of the president of Portugal. There, the pope had a half-hour meeting with the president.

Later, at the apostolic nunciature in Lisbon, the pope had a 15-minute private meeting with Prime Minister António Costa and a meeting with Augusto Santos Silva, president of the Portuguese parliament, the Vatican said.

Addressing Portuguese officials and representatives of civil society at the Belém Cultural Center, the pope posed a question to Europe: "Where are you sailing, if you are not showing the world paths of peace, creative ways for bringing an end to the war in Ukraine and to the many other conflicts causing so much bloodshed?"

He repeated his question to the West in general, "On what course are you sailing?" he asked, noting its "highly sophisticated weapons, which do not represent investments for the future but a depletion of its authentic human capital: that of education, health, the welfare state."

Speaking off-the-cuff, the pope said an economist recently told him that the "best" investment one can make is in arms manufacturing. "There is more investment in arms than in the future of children," he said.

"Where are you sailing, Europe and the West, with the discarding of the elderly, walls of barbed wire, massive numbers of deaths at sea and empty cradles?" he asked returning to his prepared text. He also criticized the "hasty but mistaken remedies" to life's problems offered by Western societies, "like easy access to death, a convenient answer that seems sweet but is in fact more bitter than the waters of the sea.”

The pope lamented the developed world's "creeping utilitarianism" which abandons the unborn and elderly, recalling "the great challenge of welcoming, protecting, promoting and integrating those who come from afar and knock on our doors, and the isolation felt by so many families that find it hard to bring children into the world and raise them."

"Lisbon," however, "gives us a reason to hope," the pope said.

"At a time when we are witnessing on many sides a climate of protest and unrest, a fertile terrain for forms of populism and conspiracy theories, World Youth Day represents a chance to build together," he said.

Pope Francis identified three areas where he urged people to work together: caring for the environment, creating a promising future for young people and promoting fraternity.

The ocean just beyond Lisbon's coast "reminds us that human life is meant to be an integrated part of an environment greater than ourselves, one that must be protected and watched over with care and concern for the sake of future generations," he said. Yet humanity is "transforming the great reserves of life into dumping grounds for plastic."

"How can we claim to believe in young people, if we do not give them healthy spaces in which to build the future?" the pope asked.

Pope Francis also listed many of the problems young people encounter as they enter adulthood: "lack of jobs, the dizzying pace of contemporary life, hikes in the cost of living, the difficulty of finding housing and, even more disturbing, the fear of forming families and bringing children into the world."

Reflecting trends across the West, Portugal has suffered from declining fertility rates for decades, now reaching 1.4 births per woman according to the World Bank -- well below the replacement rate of 2.1.

"The future," Pope Francis said, "calls for reversing the fall in the birth rate and the weakening of the will to live," which he said involves "correcting the imbalances of a market economy that produces wealth but fails to distribute it."

On fraternity, the pope said that young people, "with their pleas for peace and their thirst for life," are an example of breaking down barriers between people with different opinions and creeds.

World Youth Day organizers expect more than 1 million people to travel to Lisbon from more than 200 countries for the six-day international gathering. Pope Francis was scheduled to celebrate the closing Mass Aug. 6.

— Justin McLellan, Catholic News Service

Lisbon basks in joy as World Youth Day opens

Lisbon basks in joy as World Youth Day opens

LISBON, Portugal — Joyful, singing crowds were walking through Lisbon long after the opening Mass of World Youth Day 2023 was over Aug. 1. The atmosphere surprised even those that lived in the Portuguese capital throughout their lives.

"All those people are now on the streets, it's really exhilarating! I don't think it will happen in my lifetime again that so many pilgrims come to my city!" Concha Sousa, a Portuguese volunteer of WYD 2023, told OSV News.

Sousa is 26 but never participated in WYD before. But now, when it's in her city, "how could you not," she said. "It would be a sin not to!"

Thousands of young people participated in the opening Mass of WYD in Lisbon. Cardinal Manuel Clemente, the patriarch of Lisbon, welcomed them at the Eduardo VII Parc in the city center.

"Lisbon welcomes you wholeheartedly," Cardinal Clemente told the youths.

In his homily, he described to them how the pilgrims were walking in the footsteps of the Blessed Mother. "Mary set out. A path that was difficult and without the means of transportation that we have available today. She was young like all of you, and had just conceived Jesus in a unique way, which the Gospel recounts," Cardinal Clemente said. "All of you also set out. For many it was a difficult journey due to the distance, the connections, and the costs that the trip required. It was necessary to bring together resources, organize activities to obtain them, and rely on solidarity which, thanks to God, was not lacking."

Youth from all countries of the world except from Maldives arrived in Lisbon for the event, including over 1,300 groups comprised of more than 28,600 individuals from across the United States. The U.S. is among the five largest delegations participating in WYD, which is taking place Aug. 1-6. Most U.S. pilgrims to WYD are young adults between the ages of 18 and 25.

"From near or far, you all set out. It is very important to set out. This is how we should face our own lives, as a journey to be traveled, making each day a new segment," Cardinal Clemente said.

Joseph Vo set out to come to WYD from San Jose. He saw the videos of WYD in Krakow in 2016, and that's when he first dreamt of coming to World Youth Day.

"I was 11 at the time, and it was just so beautifully done and inspiring, and with Pope Francis being such an inspiring pope I decided that when I would get older I would one day go to World Youth Day," he said.

He loved the Lisbon encounter from the first sight.

"It's been fantastic, it's been beautiful," he told OSV News. "There is plenty of time to pray and encounter God directly. Also it's just a really beautiful opportunity to talk and engage and meet other young people."

"It feels like we're all family members that haven't seen each other for a long time," Vo said.

For youth, often closed in their own virtual circles, what matters in WYD is the actual personal meeting.

"Virtual reality keeps us seated in front of means that easily use us when we think we use them. Quite to the contrary, reality consists in going out to encounter others and the world as it is, both to admire and make better," Cardinal Clemente said.

"I've never seen so many different people so happy together," a 16-year-old-Portuguese pilgrim said, marching with her friends.

There are 354,000 pilgrims registered for the event, with the most representatives from Spain (77,224 young people), Italy (almost 60,000) and Portugal (43,742). France brought 42,482 pilgrims, followed by the U.S. The theme of WYD is "Mary arose and went with haste."

"When I told Pope Francis that this was precisely the motto of our World Youth Day -- Mary arose and went with haste... -- he immediately added that, 'yes, with haste but not anxiously,'" Cardinal Clemente told the youth at the opening Mass Aug. 1.

The encounter is also important for bishops from all corners of the Catholic world. Almost 700 bishops are registered for the event, according to the organizing committee, 30 of whom are cardinals.

Bishop Artur Wazny, auxiliary bishop of Tarnow, Poland, is one of them, and he told OSV News that after participating in several World Youth Days, this one means a lot to him as it is the first one he is participating in as a bishop.

"Starting with quite a difficult journey, I am really happy I could experience the event just like the young people and with them," he said. "Young people give light and joy, and we can all embrace that joy from them and believe, thanks to them, that what I do as a bishop makes sense. They teach me to be a better man."

"In fact, every meeting we have must begin with a true greeting, in which we exchange words of sincere welcome and full sharing," Cardinal Clemente told the youth.

And the youth don't have to be asked twice. Across Lisbon, they are exchanging signatures on their national flags, taking pictures together and sharing stories, ready to make the most of the next few days together.

— Paulina Guzik, OSV News

15-year-old Brazilian receives a World Youth Day dream come true

15-year-old Brazilian receives a World Youth Day dream come true

SÃO PAULO — Fifteen-year-old Daiana Fonseca wanted to attend World Youth Day in Lisbon since she first heard about it in 2022. She thought, however, that traveling to Portugal would be impossible for her, a member of a Black rural community in Feira de Santana, Bahia state, in Brazil. But it was precisely her community, named Candeal 2, that made it possible.

Candeal 2 is a "quilombola" community, formed by the descendants of enslaved Africans who fled captivity and settled in that region when slavery was legal in Brazil (between 1500-1888).

The 2022 census demonstrated that there are 1.3 million quilombolas in Brazil. Bahia is the state with the highest number of quilombolas, with almost 400,000.

Most quilombolas do not have ownership over their traditional territories and are waiting for the government’s land grant program, which has been historically slow. They face higher poverty rates than non-quilombola Brazilians and have to deal with insufficient public services and poor infrastructure.

Those problems are part of Daiana's life. Her mother produces and sells traditional cassava flatbreads called beiju. Some people in her community grow food there, but many try to get a job in the city. Unemployment rates are disastrous.

"There is only one medical service here, which lacks equipment and doctors. The same problem occurs in our school. With few teachers, at times we have classes only once a week," Daiana said.

In November 2021, the local diocese created a parish in the district of Matinha dos Pretos, where Candeal 2 is located. That was the first parish to be established in a quilombola community in Brazil.

"I took it as an obligation for us to represent the quilombolas in the WYD. That is why I talked about it with the community," said Kenyan-born Father Ibrahim Muinde, I.M.C., one of the parish’s priests.

Father Muinde has been working at Matinha dos Pretos parish since it was founded. He said that when he left Kenya to be a missionary, he did not think that he would have such an "extreme experience" like the one he had in the quilombola community.

"I was very surprised when I first arrived here. I was using my phone to send messages, and when the car got into the quilombola area, the signal just went off," he recalled, adding that he soon realized how quilombolas were mistreated and deprived from several rights in Brazil, "from the right of occupying their own lands to the right of using the internet."

But the community organization helps members of the community face all those challenges. When Father Muinde talked about WYD in Lisbon, the residents decided to help Daiana raise the money for the trip.

"We sold sandwiches during festivities, organized events and lunches, and promoted raffles," Daiana described.

Daiana said that the quilombola culture has been significant throughout her life. She is part of a group of "samba de roda," a traditional rhythm that was created in Bahia by Black people and later was disseminated across the country, resulting in other kinds of samba music during the 20th century.

"My great-grandfather used to play samba. It is something that crosses generations," she said.

Some of her colleagues from the group play in the church during Mass. Father Muinde said that celebrations prepared by the community, with music and dance, are remarkably beautiful, so the priests have been incentivizing the people to resume them after years without proper community involvement in liturgy.

Father Muinde and Daiana are traveling with another young girl from a nearby quilombola community. They informed the WYD committee that they are members of a traditional community and hope to have the opportunity to share their experiences with other WYD pilgrims.

"We will be there as members of a quilombola parish; that is what we are," Father Muinde said.

For Daiana, it will be a chance to learn about other people’s cultures.

"I want to bring with me everything that I learn there and share it with my community," she said.

— Eduardo Campos Lima, OSV News

Pope prays for WYD: The church is not a 'club' for the elderly

Pope prays for WYD: The church is not a 'club' for the elderly

VATICAN CITY — The Catholic Church is not a "club" for the elderly; it needs the participation of young people to keep it alive and ensure it does not "grow old," Pope Francis said.

In a video message released July 27 to present his prayer intention for the month of August, "For World Youth Day," the pope responded to questions from young people around the world in the buildup to WYD 2023 in Lisbon, Portugal, which was scheduled to begin Aug. 1.

One young woman told Pope Francis that she only sees older people at her church, and asked him if the church has become something only for older people.

"The church is not a club for the elderly, nor is it a youth club," the pope responded. "If it becomes something for old people it is going to die."

Citing St. John Paul II, the pope said that "if you live with young people, you will also become young, and the church needs young people to not grow old."

Another young woman asked the pope about the meaning of the theme for this year's World Youth Day taken from St. Luke's Gospel: "Mary arose and went with haste."

"When Mary knows she will be the mother of God she doesn't stay there to take a selfie or show off, the first thing she does is set out on a journey in haste to serve and help," he explained. "You must learn from her to set out on the journey to help others."

Responding to another young person, the pope said he hopes to see at World Youth Day a "seed for the world's future, a world where love is at the center, where we can sense that we are sisters and brothers."

"We are at war; we need something else. A world that is not afraid of bearing witness to the Gospel. A joyful world -- because if we Christians have no joy, we are not credible, no one will believe us," he said.

The pope is scheduled to travel to Portugal Aug. 2-6 to participate in World Youth Day and visit the Marian shrine at Fátima. The church in Portugal has estimated that 1 million young people will participate in the world day events in Lisbon.

— Justin McLellan, Catholic News Service

Ukrainians want world to know 'what sacrifice really means'

WYD Ukrainian Catholics want world to know 'what Ukraine's sacrifice really means'

As Russia's war in Ukraine rages on, young Ukrainian Catholics from the U.S. are traveling to World Youth Day with a mix of hope, excitement and urgency.

Some 13 pilgrims from the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia are headed to Lisbon as part of the 28,600 pilgrims and 60 bishops from the U.S. who are expected to attend.

Metropolitan Archbishop Borys Gudziak of Philadelphia leads the archeparchy's delegation and will be among the more than 35 U.S. bishops presenting daily catechetical sessions titled "Rise Up!" The archbishop will offer a separate catechetical session on behalf of the worldwide Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.

The archbishop told OSV News that WYD is "an outstanding opportunity for encounter," during which "all of the pilgrims are lifted out of their daily grind, from their usual circumstances, and for a few days they spend time with people who have come to encounter Christ."

"They meet each other, and through the beauty of human life and love, they meet the Lord," said Archbishop Gudziak, noting he looked forward to spending time "with the youth and refugees from Ukraine, whose bishops will not be able to attend WYD."

"It's the first time in quite a few years that we've had a delegation for WYD," Sofia Zacharczuk, the archeparchy's chief of staff and one of the pilgrims, told OSV News. "It's a small group, but one made up of young adults from all different types of backgrounds."

The archeparchy's pilgrims include "some who speak Ukrainian, some who are of Ukrainian descent but are no longer Ukrainian-speaking, and some from Ukraine," said Zacharczuk. "It's essentially a nice representation of our archeparchy."

The delegation will be part of "a larger umbrella group from the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church," she said.

At the same time, "we also find it important to be true to who we are as an archeparchy," she said. "So we also plan to attend WYD events at which pilgrims from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia will be present."

Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, both the Philadelphia Archdiocese (of the Latin Church) led by Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez and the Philadelphia Archeparchy have collaborated closely on initiatives for prayer and humanitarian support for Ukraine.

Also accompanying the delegation is Father Ostap Mykytchyn of St. Michael the Archangel Ukrainian Catholic Church in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania.

The WYD gathering gives Ukrainian Catholic youth an opportunity to reflect on the war -- which continues attacks Russia launched in 2014 -- in the context of their faith, said Father Mykytchyn.

"Young people have active lives, and their own way of life, and maybe sometimes don't fully recognize the problem of war, that it's real and it continues," he said.

The pilgrims "will also feel that they are not alone," said Father Mykytchyn. "They will see they participate in a global community of young people, young believers. They have many people throughout the world that are also praying for Ukraine, and they are with them."

Attending as both Ukrainians and Americans, the archeparchy's pilgrims are "splitting a few worlds, so to speak, with our feet in both camps," said Zacharczuk. "We're doing a little bit of it all, and we're excited."

While there is "some apprehension, because (WYD) it's new for everybody" in the delegation, "it's really powerful to think that we're about to be among so many Catholics from around the world at one time, especially as representatives of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church," she said.

"It's important for us as individuals to realize we are all one church," Zacharczuk said, adding it means a lot "to see the support from Americans and from those around the world."

Amid the joy of WYD, the archeparchy's pilgrims know greater global awareness of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church "is coming at a cost" due to Russia's war on Ukraine -- and they feel an increased sense of responsibility, said Zacharczuk.

"We can't waste the opportunity to make sure the world understands what Ukraine's sacrifice really means," she said. "Ukrainians are showing the world what it really means to stand for our God-given rights and freedom."

— Gina Christian, OSV News

Open yourself to God, pope tells youth ahead of WYD

Open yourself to God, pope tells marginalized youth ahead of WYD

VATICAN CITY — Young people today must be open to love and let themselves be led and accompanied by God in the face of life's challenges, Pope Francis said.

In the second edition of the "Popecast," produced by Vatican Media in Italian and released July 25, the pope responded to the stories of young people recorded ahead of World Youth Day in Lisbon, Portugal, scheduled for Aug. 1-6.

The first episode of the Vatican Media's podcast with Pope Francis was released in March, in which he looked back on the first 10 years of his pontificate.

The Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life also released a podcast series meant to talk about how its work concretely impacts the lives of people in the church. Its first episode released July 23 focuses on grandparents and the elderly.

Meanwhile, the Popecast's latest episode focused on marginalized youth, and one person the pope heard from was Giona -- Jonah in Italian -- a transgender, homosexual and disabled Catholic who described how his faith helped him accept his identity and body despite his disability.

"The Lord always walks with us, even if we are sinners he comes toward us to help us," the pope said after hearing Giona's story. "The Lord loves us as we are. This is God's crazy love."

Like the prophet Jonah, "people are often stubborn," he said, "and that stubbornness closes us" to God's love. Yet the pope urged Giona to "not surrender" and recalled that "God always caresses us" and "walks with us," even if it is sometimes difficult to feel.

The pope then listened to two young men share how they resorted to crime and violence in response to their troubled backgrounds. Both had experienced run-ins with the law and were now involved with the Kayros Association, a Catholic organization supporting young people in need near Milan.

People make progress in life "with successes and mistakes," the pope said, and "many times society is cruel to us because one mistake characterizes us for our whole life."

"You were not alone on your journeys, not even when you made terrible mistakes; the Lord was there, ready to take you by the hand, ready to lift you up " Pope Francis said. "It was he who created the circumstances in history to lift you both up."

The pope also told them to not be afraid to dream, calling dreams "seeds of hope, seeds of progress, of strength, to go forward."

"God is present in every stage of life," Pope Francis said after hearing the experience of Arianna, a healthcare worker who suffers from bipolar disorder.

She described living on a "seesaw" between having suicidal thoughts and feelings of extreme joy. The pope noted that life's ups and downs can become a "labyrinth" with no way out, the pope said.

"Always look ahead and don't lose sight of the horizon, because the horizon is what leads you forward," he said. "God is the horizon and God is with you accompanying you."

Pope Francis urged Arianna not to lose a sense of "the adventure of life" or "fall into the labyrinths of our consciousness, which don't save us in the end." He also asked that she continue pursuing medical treatment for any psychological conditions she may have.

Valeria, who will accompany a group of young people traveling to World Youth Day, shared that the young people she knows want the church as an institution to be coherent with the message of the Gospel, and that she sees the synod on synodality as a key step toward that result.

"The church is church when it walks, the contrary is a religious sect closed within itself," the pope said in response. "Each time the church has closed itself it has ended poorly, it has ended up being infertile."

Pope Francis stressed the need for fostering "unity among diversity" in the church, which he said is achieved by living coherently with the Gospel. "Each person lives life differently, in their own way, but if it is coherent with the Gospel it's okay."

"Many times in the church there are fights among little groups, one against the other, but on the morning of Pentecost everyone spoke differently but understood each other in unity," he said. When a difference becomes akin to a political party, "it kills unity."

Speaking to Giuseppe, who said he spends most of his time playing video games, the pope said his virtual relationships to other gamers and content creators are "sterile." Pope Francis warned him against "becoming bored with yourself" and living his life "without poetry," before encouraging him to "open a window" and look toward a horizon in life to pursue.

Turning to all young people, Pope Francis urged them to attend World Youth Day, responding to those who may not feel like going by saying "it is worth it to take the risk."

"In life, who doesn't take risks doesn't move forward," he said.

The pope also responded to an audio message from 9-year-old Alessandro asking if there would ever be a "World Children's Day."

"It would be nice," the pope said, "and we can ask grandparents to organize it. I will think about it and see how to do it."

"Say hello to your grandparents for me," Pope Francis told him.

— Justin McLellan, Catholic News Service

US set to have fifth largest delegation at World Youth Day

US set to have fifth largest delegation at World Youth Day

WASHINGTON, D.C. — When Pope Francis arrives in Lisbon for World Youth Day 2023, there will be plenty of pilgrims from the U.S. ready to greet him -- close to 29,000.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops announced July 24 that more than 28,600 individuals, most between the ages of 18 and 25, and over 60 U.S bishops will be on hand for the Aug. 1-6 gathering. While registration numbers have not yet been finalized (and in fact are rising, said the bishops' conference), the U.S. is set to have one of the five largest delegations at WYD.

"Our country is very much looking forward to this pilgrimage," said Bishop Robert E. Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth, which oversees the U.S. involvement in WYD. Bishop Barron, along with 60 other U.S. bishops, will be accompanying young people to Lisbon.

In a statement, Bishop Barron described WYD as "a wonderful occasion for young adults to have a significant encounter with Jesus Christ in the company of the universal Church."

The event is "also a moment when the Holy Father and the Church's leadership get an opportunity to listen to the young people present, teach and form them in the Gospel, and ultimately send them towards their vocation and mission in the world," he said.

U.S. pilgrims will stay in parishes, campuses, homes and hotels around Lisbon during the WYD week, taking part in prayer, liturgies, daily catechesis, concerts, presentations, dialogue, service and networking with young adults from around the world.

More than 35 U.S. bishops will lead daily catechetical "Rise Up!" sessions.

U.S. pilgrims will gather Aug. 2 for an outdoor evening gathering organized by the USCCB in Lisbon's Parque da Quinta das Conchas. Music and testimony by young adults will be followed by a keynote address from Bishop Barron, who will then lead a Holy Hour with Bishop Edward J. Burns of Dallas as part of the USCCB's National Eucharistic Revival initiative.

Pope Francis will join the WYD pilgrims Aug. 3 for a welcome ceremony in the city center. He will preside at a Way of the Cross Aug. 4 and a prayer vigil Aug. 5, and then celebrate the WYD closing Mass Aug. 6, with an anticipated crowd of 1 million or more.

The USCCB's Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth recently collaborated with WYD organizers in Lisbon and U.S.-based Oregon Catholic Press on the English version of the official WYD hymn, "Feel the Rush in the Air," which was released earlier this month.

Inaugurated by St. John Paul II in 1986, WYD officially takes place every year as a "Global Celebration of Young People," which is now celebrated on Christ the King Sunday. In addition, a major international event is held every 2 - 4 years in a different location around the world.

Past WYDs have taken place in Buenos Aires, Argentina (1987); Santiago de Compostela, Spain (1989); Czestochowa, Poland (1991); Denver (1993); Manila, Philippines (1995); Paris (1997); Rome (2000); Toronto (2002); Cologne, Germany (2005); Sydney (2008); Madrid (2011); Rio de Janeiro (2013); Krakow, Poland (2016); and Panama City (2019).

More online

For more information, please visit the USCCB's web page for WYD: www.wydusa.org

All are invited to follow the U.S. pilgrims on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook with hashtags #JMJLisboa23 and #wydusa.

Listen to the official WYD hymn, "Feel the Rush in the Air," at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxdYqZ9N-EI.