2023-07-20 16:08:00
July 20, 2023 / 9:08 a.m.
Pope Francis will meet with a group of victims of abuse in a “private and reserved” way during World Youth Day (WYD) in Lisbon 2023, an event that will take place from August 1 to 6 in Portugal.
Cardinal Manuel Clemente confirmed that the Holy Father will meet with a group of victims of abuse by the Portuguese clergy, although this has not been included in the official program.
The Cardinal has not provided details about the place and the day on which said meeting will take place. “It will be done this way to protect the privacy of these people”, assured the also Patriarch of Lisbon during a press conference online organized by the International Association of Vatican Accredited Journalists (AIGAV) on Thursday, July 20.
The victims who will be received by Pope Francis have been accompanied by associations and groups that are already in contact and work with the Episcopal Conference of Portugal to prevent and combat sexual, conscience and power abuses.
Cardinal Clemente confirmed that the organizers expect the participation of more than a million young people in Lisbon. Those enrolled in WYD represent all the countries of the world.
Controversy over the costs of WYD
Regarding the controversy over the costs of WYD 2023, the Cardinal-Patriarch of Lisbon stated “that everything that this event will offer to Portuguese society, believers or not, will be much more than any expense.” The Cardinal responded on the costs, pointing out that nothing can be carried out without state aid and “civil citizens have seen WYD as something important for society and for the country.”
Way of the Cross
In the Pope’s program, the importance of the Via Crucis with young people at “Colina do Encontro” (Parque Eduardo VII) is highlighted, which will be held on Friday, August 4, and in which issues such as the climate and migratory crisis will be addressed. The texts and gestures of the young people during the Via Crucis are designed to embrace the sufferings of humanity, such as the war in Eastern Europe and elsewhere.
The visit to Fatima
Regarding the visit to Fatima, Pope Francis has always expressed his desire to go during this WYD, and the Pontiff will bring before the Virgin Mary everything that worries him, including the problems in Europe and will ask for an end to the war in Ukraine. About 500 young people from Ukraine will participate in the events and it is hoped that there may also be a group from Russia.
Prayer for conversion in Russia and Putin?
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A journalist asked the Portuguese cardinal if the Pope will pray for the conversion of Russia and Russian President Vladimir Putin on the occasion of his visit to the Marian Shrine of Fatima on Saturday, August 5. Cardinal Clemente responded that Francis will take into account at Fatima all the problems of humanity that are at the heart of the Church. He assured that he does not know what the Pope will specifically say in Fatima, but that he will surely go there to pray for all that afflicts the world. It is expected that the Pope will pray the Rosary together with the young sick people in the main chapel of the Marian Shrine.
Don’t you want to convert young people to Christ?
On July 6, Mons. Américo Aguiar, head of WYD Lisbon 2023, stated in an interview that they do not seek to convert young people to any religion.
“He said that when young people of other religions meet in Lisbon, we don’t have the pretense of converting them to Christ, but certainly everything at WYD reminds Christ, among us,” Cardinal Clemente responded. Therefore, “those who come will hear calls to walk with us on this path of reconciliation and peace”.
Likewise, he qualified the expressions of Bishop Américo Aguiar, when he assured that “Pope John Paul II had similar words addressed to young Muslims in Casablanca”, Morocco, the August 19, 1985. He quoted the speech of the Pope Benedict XVI to the Roman Curia in which he spoke of the importance of “dialogue with religions” in December 2012 and the text of Pope Francis on “Human Fraternity”.
The controversy over the colonialist monument
Regarding the controversy over the Monument to the Discoveries In Lisbon, the Cardinal assured that the work will not be seen on the Pontiff’s tour. The monument, which was covered by the Lisbon municipality to avoid hurting the sensibilities of the Catholic faithful, has been criticized for being considered “nationalist” and “colonialist”.
The Vatican even withdrew from circulation the WYD 2023 postage stamp that had that work as its background due to the criticism received.
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