‘God loves us as we are. Everyone, everyone!’ Thus, Pope Francis opened the WYD in Lisbon, in the presence of more than 500,000 young people who increased to almost 1.5 million in the following days. ‘You are not here by accident. The Lord has called you, not only in these days, but from the very beginning of your days. He called you by name.’
Addressing the youth, Francis invited them to reflect ‘on the beautiful fact that God loves us. God loves us as we are, not how we want to be or how society wants us to be. As we are! He calls us with our faults and failings, our limitations and our hopes in life. That is how God calls us. Trust, because God is a Father and a Father who loves us.”.
During the Final Mass, however, the Holy Father asked the young people gathered in Tejo Park the question: “ What will we take back with us as we resume our daily lives? I would like to answer this question with three verbs, drawing from the Gospel we have heard: to shine, to listen, and to be unafraid. What will we take back with us? I would respond with these three words: to shine, to listen, and to be unafraid
The novelty of this WYD 2023 was in the expected announcement of the following World Youth Day, which will be only in 2027, in Seoul, South Korea.
In 2025, in fact, everyone was invited to participate in the Youth Jubilee in Rome.
From 16 to 19 October, all the teams of the Local Organising Committee (COL) of WYD Lisbon 2023, led by Dom Américo Aguiar, President of the WYD Lisbon 2023 Foundation, the heads of youth ministry of the Bishops’ Conferences from all over the world, as well as ecclesial movements and religious congregations, met in Fatima (Portugal) to prepare WYD Lisbon 2023, which will take place in Portugal from 1 to 6 August 2023. Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life, was present, as was Archbishop Manuel Clemente, Cardinal Patriarch of Lisbon.
The meeting, promoted by the local organising committee and the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life, was attended by some 280 people from 180 countries. The aim was to take stock of pastoral, liturgical and logistical work and to prepare together for the next World Youth Day.
The Foundation was also present and participated in the work with its President, Daniele Bruno, and Vice-President, presenting to the Assembly the work done by the Foundation, the Conferences on Care for Creation and this website. The representatives of the Foundation also had a meeting in Lisbon with the Rector of the Catholic University of Portugal (and President of the International Federation of Catholic Universities), Professor Isabel Capeloa Gil, who expressed the University’s willingness to host the next Conference on Care for Creation on 31 July 2023, as part of the XXXVIII World Youth Day.
On the last day of the meeting, participants also had the opportunity to take a tour of Lisbon and visit the Tejo Park, where the central events of WYD will take place.
Lisbon, Portugal (2023)
Date: 1 – 6 August 2023
