Since attending World Youth Day for the first time as pope in 2013, Pope Francis encouraged young people to invite God into their lives and go forward as Christ’s disciples.
World Youth Day 2023
WYD Pilgrims Reflect on ‘Seeing God’s Face’ at the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima
On Aug. 1, the first official day of World Youth Day, the pilgrims from the Diocese of Brooklyn spent the entire day at the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima.
Lebanese Youth Who Could Not Afford Going to World Youth Day Organized Their Own
Like a fountain bubbling with joy and enthusiasm, more than 1,500 young people gathered in crisis-stricken Lebanon for their very own World Youth Day Aug. 3-6.
Spanish Teen Says She Has Regained Sight After Praying to Our Lady of the Snows
World Youth Day is known as an event that can and does change lives, but when a teenager said she has regained her sight during the Portuguese youth fair, it electrified both Portugal and Spain on Aug. 6.
Leaving Lisbon, Pope Tells WYD Volunteers to Be ‘Surfers of Love’
Pope Francis closed his five-day trip to Portugal Sunday, Aug. 6, thanking the 24,000 volunteers who helped organize the global World Youth Day gathering, saying service to others helps them grow in love of God.
World Youth Day 2027 Will Be in Seoul, South Korea, Pope Announces
World Youth Day is returning to Asia in 2027 and will be hosted in Seoul, South Korea.
Pope Hears Young People’s Confessions in WYD ‘Reconciliation Park’
Young people were going to confession on street corners and park benches throughout Lisbon during World Youth Day, but in the 150 plywood confessionals set up in Vasco da Gama Garden three of them found themselves face to face with Pope Francis.
Pope Meets WYD Pilgrims From Ukraine, Hears Their Stories
Fifteen World Youth Day pilgrims from Ukraine, most of whom had lost a father or other close relative in the war, had a private meeting with Pope Francis Aug. 3.
Pope in Lisbon Calls on Youth to Be ‘Teachers of Hope’
Pope Francis kicked off the second day of his Aug. 2-6 visit to Lisbon meeting with Catholic university students, telling them to maintain a restless search for a better future and to work toward a more inclusive and just world.
Pope in Lisbon To Celebrate World Youth Day Festival
When Pope Francis arrives in Portugal for World Youth Day, he’ll be met by the colorful fanfare and palpable excitement characteristic of these gatherings, yet he’ll also have the task of wading through the aftermath of a recent report on clerical abuse in the country.