Pope Francis: Vigil in Lisbon brings together 1.5 million faithful on World Youth Day

An enthusiastic and colorful tide of 1.5 million faithful gathered in Lisbon, Portugal, on Saturday for the World Youth Day (WYD) vigil, presided over by the Pope Francisco.

The number of people present at nightfall on the immense esplanade next to the Tagus was reported by the Vatican, citing an estimate by the Portuguese authorities.

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During the day, young Catholics from all over the world were arriving in the hot sun with their backpacks and sleeping bags, ready to spend the night until the final mass on Sunday.

Jorge Bergoglio, 86, made his appearance in “popemobile” shortly after 7:00 p.m. in this vigil with the atmosphere of a macro-festival, which began with performances of pop-rock music on the colossal stage that dominates this enormous venue set up in an old landfill.

In a lively speech, in which he interacted on several occasions with the audience, Francisco made references to soccer, exams or moments of crisis.

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“Do you think that a person who falls in life, who has a failure, who even makes heavy, strong mistakes, is already finished? No ”, he threw at the pilgrims, stressing that after any setback they must“ get up ”.

The organizers had projected that the vigil and the mass on Sunday morning could bring together a million people, as the high point of the week of cultural and spiritual encounters that make up this edition of the largest international Catholic gathering.

In a large area full of tents, flags of many countries and temporary installations, the young people waited in a festive atmosphere, surrounded by extensive security.

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“We have come walking from Barcelona, ​​we have left 40 days ago. It’s a pilgrimage to see the pope,” Santi Salvador, a 19-year-old Spanish student, told AFP who traveled 1,300 kilometers to get there.

“Participating in this vigil is important because of the grandeur of the event, for what it represents for Catholics,” said Tiago Carlos, a 30-year-old Portuguese.

– impromptu speech –

On Saturday morning, the Argentine pontiff was received by some 200,000 faithful in the sanctuary of Fátima, some 130 km north of Lisbon, where he prayed the rosary with sick and disabled youth and six prisoners.

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“The Church does not have doors, so that everyone can enter,” said the Argentine pontiff during a brief speech delivered in Spanish, like almost everyone since he arrived on Wednesday in Portugal.

“This is the mother’s house and a mother always has an open heart for all her children. Everyone, everyone, everyone, without exclusion ”, she repeated to applause, reiterating a message that she has already underlined on other occasions in this WYD.

Contrary to what was planned, the pope improvised almost all of his speech.

Francisco – who moves in a wheelchair or supported by a cane due to his increasingly fragile health – had already changed the script of one of his speeches on Friday, after spontaneously explaining that “the reflectors” did not work for him and I was able to read well.

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The Vatican spokesman told AFP that the change on Friday had indeed been due to “a reflection caused by the lighting”, while this Saturday had been “a choice” by the pontiff.

“In silence, the Pope prayed extensively with pain for peace before the Virgin of Fatima,” Matteo Bruni later told reporters, excluding any vision problems.

– “Hope” –

Upon arrival at fatima In a Portuguese air force helicopter, Francisco was applauded by some 200,000 faithful who did not fill the venue, under a sky darkened by smoke and ash from an active forest fire a hundred kilometers away.

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Then he toured in a “popemobile” the esplanade that surrounds the small chapel that marks the place where, according to Catholic tradition, the Virgin Mary appeared to three children in 1917.

“It is an important visit that will help us in our faith,” said Juan Fiorani, a 17-year-old Argentine student from neighboring Spain, where he was spending his vacation.

Bergoglio already visited Fátima as pope in May 2017 for the massive canonization of two pastors, which was attended by some 500,000 pilgrims.

Francisco has been in Portugalwhere he meets a busy schedule within WYD in Lisbon.

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From the beginning of his visit, he addressed issues such as ecology, the war in Ukraine or the pain of victims of sexual abuse of minors by members of the Church.

Source: Elcomercio

jack

I am Jack Morton and I work in 24 News Recorder. I mostly cover world news and I have also authored 24 news recorder. I find this work highly interesting and it allows me to keep up with current events happening around the world.