Before concluding the Closing World Youth Day Mass with the recitation of the Angelus prayer, Pope Francis invited the youths to carry the “spiritual breath of fresh air” back to their countries and communities and “wherever God’s providence leads you.”
That same providence, he concluded, is “one step ahead of us” and “has already determined the next stop in this great pilgrimage begun in 1985 by St. John Paul II!”
“So now I am happy to announce that the next World Youth Day – after the two that will be held on the diocesan level – will take place in 2019 in Panama,” Pope Francis told the youth.
The Panama delegation in Krakow greeted the announcement with shouts of joy – dancing, bouncing and high-fiving each other.
Pope Francis invited bishops from Panama to join him at center stage in blessing the crowd.
See more World Youth Day 2016 coverage:
https://thetablet.org/first-meet/
https://thetablet.org/83590-2/
