SW News: Pope Francis has urged the faithful to accompany him with prayer on his Journey to Portugal for World Youth Day. The Holy Father entrusted the WYD pilgrims and all the young people of the world to the Virgin Mary.
The Holy Father will be in the Portuguese capital Lisbon from August 2 to 6 on his 42nd international apostolic visit. Pope Francis has requested prayers for himself and the young people traveling to Lisbon from the entire Church. On July 30, after leading the midday Angelus, he made this appeal. On Monday afternoon, Pope Francis also made his customary visit to the Basilica of Saint Mary Major to pray before the Salus Populi Romani icon.
The official welcome on August 3, the Stations of the Cross on August 4, the prayer vigil on August 5, and the concluding Mass on August 6 are the main events he will attend.
On August 5, he will also go to the Fatima Marian shrine.
The 37th World Youth Day was postponed from taking place in the capital of Portugal in 2022 due to the public health crisis brought on by the Covid epidemic.
Pope Francis has picked the phrase "Mary arose and went with haste" as the theme for this year's World Youth Day. “A great many young people, from all continents, will experience the joy of the encounter with God and with their brothers and sisters, guided by the Virgin Mary, who after the annunciation arose and went with haste,” said the Holy Father.
The papal journey begins on Wednesday when the Pope departs for Lisbon, which is hosting World Youth Day. This will be the fourth time Pope Francis presides at the global gathering, following the World Youth Days in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (2013), Krakow, Poland (2016), and Panama City, Panama (2019).