2023-08-04 21:14:00
August 4, 2023 / 2:14 pm
This Friday the Encounter Hill, in the Eduardo VII Park in Lisbon, was the scene of the Via Crucis of World Youth Day (WYD), in which Pope Francis reminded pilgrims that the Cross is the sacred sign ” of the greatest love”, with which Christ wants to embrace the lives of men.
The Holy Father arrived in a popemobile while receiving the greetings of the hundreds of thousands of pilgrims and was transferred in a wheelchair to the stage, from where he reminded the 800,000 pilgrims that “Jesus wants to embrace our life.”
For this reason, from the park in the center of Lisbon, he encouraged the young people not to forget that “no one has more love than the one who gives life, and this was taught by Jesus”, who walked to the Cross for the salvation of the dead. men and women.
Pope Francis is already in Eduardo VII Park, known these days as the “Hill of Encounter.” The Holy Father is received by thousands of young people. #Lisboa2023 #JMJ2023
???? Pablo Pilco / @EWTNews pic.twitter.com/V3mCvASJxl
— ACI Press (@aciprensa) August 4, 2023
Pope Francis also twice invited them to reflect on their sufferings, assuring them that Christ wishes to heal the loneliness of each young person. “Jesus walks to the Cross, he dies on the Cross so that your soul can smile”, he affirmed.
After the Pope’s words, the young people of the choreography group moved the pilgrim cross to one side of the stage, through which it began to ascend as each station progressed.
The meditations focused on the weaknesses, wounds and needs of today’s youth, such as violence, loneliness, the challenge of social networks, the need for solidarity and commitment, mental health, among others.
To the sound of “Crucifixus”, some young people go up on stage carrying the Cross, thus forming the backdrop of Mount Calvary.#PontifexLisboa ???????? #Lisboa2023 #way of the cross pic.twitter.com/q9wVQyitoK
— WYD Lisbon 2023 (@jmj_es) August 4, 2023
The composition of the texts was in charge of Fr. João Golão, director of the Padre António University Center, who explained to Vatican News who received the reflections of 20 young people from the five continents: “this is how we have built the stations”.
During the Via Crucis, the testimonies of three young people were interspersed as the pilgrim cross ascended.
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The first testimony was that of Esther, a 34-year-old Spanish girl who reported that despite having been baptized and received First Communion, she lived far from the Church; besides her, that an accident left her in a wheelchair.
She acknowledged that with her partner they decided to abort their first child, a fact that left her empty, because she felt that “something had died inside” of her. However, the Lord in her infinite mercy went looking for her and began to experience a great and inexplicable love. She now has her daughter Elisabeth and last year she contracted a religious marriage with her husband Nacho.
Then followed the testimony of João, a 23-year-old Portuguese who experienced mental fragility during the coronavirus pandemic. During confinement he reflected on himself and understood that he had been marked. However, he affirmed that faith helped him when he fell to overcome all individualism and isolation.
The love for the Virgin of Guadalupe is visible ✝️????.
Latin American I am!
She is our Mother, we are not alone!#lisboa2023 #pontifexLisboa #ViaCrusis pic.twitter.com/ALDRc0lpa5
— WYD Lisbon 2023 (@jmj_es) August 4, 2023
Finally Caleb spoke, a 29-year-old American who shared that he had grown up in an unstable home. The young man, who described himself as one of the lost sheep that Jesus is looking for, recounted that he fell into depression, thought of ending his life and separated from his wife for a while.
However, his encounter with Christ, in the Eucharist, helped him heal his wounds and, after returning with his partner, they got married and now lives in full communion with the Catholic Church.
After the fourteenth station meditation, with the pilgrim cross at the top of the stage, the Pope led the final prayer and blessed the crowd of young people, who gradually withdrew from Eduardo VII Park.
Eduardo Berdejo is a graduate of the National University of San Marcos (Peru). He has been part of the ACI Prensa team since 2001.
#Crucis #Pope #Francis #lived #young