Pope closes World Youth Day in front of 1.5 million Catholics

2023-08-06 15:26:00

Pope Francis presided over the final mass of World Youth Day (WYD) in Lisbon on Sunday morning in front of 1.5 million pilgrims, on the last day of his visit to the largest Catholic gathering in the world.

With a crowd as large as during the vigil on Saturday evening, the number of people present on Sunday in a huge park set up for the occasion on the edge of the mouth of the Tagus was communicated by the Vatican, citing an estimate by the Portuguese authorities. .

Initially, the organizers said they were expecting around a million faithful for the vigil and the final mass, the culmination of a week of festive, cultural and spiritual events. After a night spent on the spot under the stars, the young pilgrims woke up to music to the sound of musical entertainment by a Portuguese priest-DJ, in a stage that looked like a giant festival, at dawn on a day very hot, with temperatures likely to reach 40°C.

In the midst of tents, flags from many countries and temporary sanitary facilities, the young people sang and danced in a joyful atmosphere, surrounded by an important security device. A great closing mass broadcast on giant screens was celebrated in the presence of 10,000 priests, 700 bishops and 30 cardinals, on a colossal altar dominating the site of this former dump.

READ ALSOUninhibited and “normal”: with young French Catholics at WYD in LisbonAt the end of the service, the 86-year-old pope warmly thanked the young people, the volunteers and the organizers of the event. “Thanks to you, Lisbon, which will remain in the memory of these young people as a house of brotherhood and a city of dreams,” he said.

Direction South Korea for the next WYD 2027

The Argentinian Jesuit also prayed for “those who could not come because of conflicts and wars”. “I feel great pain for dear Ukraine, which continues to suffer greatly,” he said. The next WYD will take place in Seoul in 2027, the sovereign pontiff announced again, provoking the cheers of young Koreans, who waved their flags.

On the last day of his visit to Portugal, François made another walkabout in a “Papomobile” through the paths of the park located at the gates of Lisbon. In the afternoon, he will meet the 24,000 volunteers who participated in the organization of the event, before leaving the country around 5 p.m. GMT.

“What strikes me is really becoming aware of the universality of the Church. All countries are represented, we hear all languages ​​spoken and we see the same joy on their faces, ”Charlotte Bordas, a 26-year-old Frenchwoman from Mont-de-Marsan, in the south of France, told AFP. West of France.

READ ALSOWYD in Lisbon: a pope, six days of gatherings and a million controversies!

A fitter pope

“It was a beautiful, peaceful night. I had never experienced anything like this. We took advantage of every minute, ”said Elsa Gonzalez, a 54-year-old American accompanying a group of young people from San Antonio (Texas).

On Saturday, 200,000 worshipers gathered at the Fatima shrine in central Portugal, where the spiritual leader of the 1.3 billion Catholics made a whirlwind visit to recite the rosary with young sick and disabled people.

Contrary to what was planned, François improvised almost all of his first speech, without reading his text, and did not deliver the second.

The pope had already improvised his speech on Friday. The Vatican spokesman told AFP that the change was due to ‘impaired vision’ due to a reflection on his glasses, but that on Saturday it was ‘a choice’ of the spiritual leader of the 1.3 billion Catholics. Describing Jorge Bergoglio as “tired” at the start of his visit, due to a very busy schedule, Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa told public television RTP that he then found him “in great shape these two last days “.

“As the day progressed, he entered into a joy and ease… He threw down his papers, said what was in his heart, like last night, and outdid himself,” said the head of state, devout Catholic. During his visit, the longest of a pope in this Iberian country, he addressed many topics, such as ecology, social networks or pedocrime within the Church.