2024-08-04 18:59:36
A big celebration in St. Peter’s Square in midsummer: In 37-degree heat, Francis is reaching out to the Catholic youth. Most of them come from Germany.
As the climax of a pilgrimage to Rome, tens of thousands of altar boys from Germany and other European countries were received by Pope Francis. The head of the Catholic Church greeted the boys and girls in St. Peter’s Square, where they had waited for him for hours in the summer heat. The 87-year-old wished the German participants a “good evening” in German and welcomed them “welcome”. This was followed by an appeal to serve the church and to love one’s neighbor.
According to official figures, around 50,000 altar boys and girls will be in Rome for the pilgrimage until Saturday. According to the German Bishops’ Conference, 35,000 girls and boys from Germany alone are taking part. Others have travelled from countries such as France, the Czech Republic, Ukraine, Austria and Switzerland.
Normally, such an altar boy pilgrimage takes place every four years. However, the previous edition was in 2018. Then the rhythm was interrupted by the corona pandemic.
Apart from the church appointments, the trip is also a good opportunity for many of the young participants to get to know Rome for the first time.
Despite temperatures of almost 40 degrees, the Italian capital is currently full of tourists. Next year – declared a “Holy Year” by the Pope – up to 40 million visitors are expected.