Hours after he touched down in Lisbon on Wednesday, one of three huge billboards erected by activists to raise awareness of sexual abuse by clergy was removed, says the campaign group This Is Our Memorial.

WYD follows hard on the heels of a report released in February by a Portuguese commission, which said at least 4,815 minors were sexually abused by Portuguese clergy - mostly priests - over seven decades.

The commission in charge said that was just the "tip of the iceberg".

The campaign group described the removal of the billboard as "censorship".

Another billboard located in the municipality of Oeiras has also been taken down.

Organisers of the awareness campaign called "This is our memorial" shared images of the removal on various social media platforms.

The Church had promised a memorial would be unveiled during the week-long event but a date has not been set, with the Church saying the project was still being studied.

Another issue Francis will be aware of is a decline in Catholic engagement with the Church.

A study published in June reveals 56 percent of Portuguese aged 14 to 30 consider themselves believers (50 percent consider themselves Catholics) and 34 percent identify as practising believers, compared to 60 percent in the overall population.

"Young people identify less with the Church" says parish priest Father Paulo Fernando Filipe.

"Although they grew up in Catholic families and were baptised, they abandon religious practice as they age. I no longer see young adults in the churches I serve.

"They feel trapped, stifled by a certain conservatism," he laments.

"We have a communication problem, struggling to encourage them to get involved."

However, the most recent national census found that Catholicism's decline affects Portuguese society as a whole. Fewer practise their faith, far fewer have church weddings, and ordinations are down.

Hope for the future

On the plus side, numerous Catholic volunteers have come together to welcome young participants.

Organisers hope WYD will breathe new life into the Church in Portugal.

Over the past four years, a network of young people preparing for the event has developed.

"Not all Catholics have engaged in this process," admits Bishop José Ornelas Carvalho.

"But those who have engaged have done significant work that will revitalise evangelisation after the World Youth Day."

Source

• La Croix
• Reuters

The event marks it as one of the largest Australian contingents in the history of the gathering.

With just weeks remaining until the August 1-6 celebrations, a group of 25 World Youth Day pilgrimage coordinators recently gathered in Sydney, while others joined the meeting online for a final preparation day.

"This was a great chance for us all to pray together and also to encourage the leaders to remember that they themselves will be on pilgrimage," said Archbishop Christopher Prowse, chair of the Bishops Commission for Evangelisation, Laity and Ministry.

"These faith-filled Catholics, some of whom have attended several previous World Youth Days, can be an example of prayer, presence and accompaniment - and not be all business, all the time."

In addition to the week-long event in Portugal, numerous groups of young people from the Oceania region will embark on pilgrimages and retreats to significant locations such as the Holy Land, Rome, Lourdes, Fatima, Avila and Assisi.

The groups are being supported by World Youth Day organisers and Australian dioceses who are providing financial assistance to ensure their participation.

1,000 from Sydney going to Lisbon

Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP leads 1,000 followers from Sydney, the city's largest ever contingent, alongside Sydney Auxiliary Bishops Daniel Meagher and Richard Umbers.

Archbishop Fisher told nearly 400 pilgrims at a Fidelis formation event that they "will come back to Sydney, to your lives, families, friends, education and work, hopefully as saints-in-the-making, truer believers in God, better lovers of your neighbours, on fire with the Holy Spirit."

Protests may impact Pope's visit

On another note, there are concerns that planned protests and strikes in Portugal during August will impact World Youth Day and the visit of Pope Francis for the event.

The pope will also hold a Mass, visit the Fatima sanctuary some 130 km (81 miles) north of Lisbon and meet victims of clergy sexual abuse.

Portuguese teachers, railway workers, police officers and garbage collectors are taking action in an effort to force the government to raise wages and improve their working conditions.

Interior Minister Jose Luis Carneiro has said there will be enough officers to ensure safety at the events involving the pope, so "security will not be affected in any way."

Sources

Australian Catholic Bishops' Conference

Catholic Weekly

US News & World Report

CathNews New Zealand