World Youth Day (WYD) 2023 in Portugal ended with a record surplus of around €35 million (NZ61.7m). This financial success, announced by Cardinal Américo Aguiar, the event’s chief organiser, marks the highest recorded in WYD history. WYD 2023 attracted over 400,000 pilgrims. This number significantly exceeded expectations, contributing to the robust financial outcome. The result Read more
A wave of controversy has engulfed the World Youth Day (WYD) event held in Lisbon last week, as concerns were raised about the handling of the Eucharist during the lead-up to the papal mass on Sunday. The controversy erupted after images circulated on social media depicting plastic containers placed on tables inside a white tent, Read more
The Catholic Church is open to everyone, including the LGBTQ+ community, Pope Francis affirms. The Church has a duty to accompany gay people on a personal path of spirituality, providing that accompaniment is within the framework of the Catholic Church rules, he told reporters on the plane returning to Rome from World Youth Day (WYD) Read more
The group of teenage pilgrims traipsing through Lisbon during this week’s big meeting of Catholic youth from all over the world seemed to have taken to heart Pope Francis’ call for them to shake things up. It would be better, one girl said, if the church were “more inclusive of all relationships, gay rights and Read more
On the stage in the Garden of the Empire Square in the Belém district of Lisbon , Mariia, 31, Natalia, 33, and Oksana, 28, sing a patriotic song in Ukrainian, holding the blue and yellow flag, in the admiring silence of the assembly. They come from Ternopil, in the western part of their country devastated Read more
“There is space in the Church for everyone… Everyone, everyone, everyone!” Pope Francis encouraged the half-a-million young people who warmly received him on Thursday evening at Lisbon’s Edward VII Park to repeat this word numerous times. The Pope appeared revitalized and invigorated by the contagious enthusiasm of the girls and boys who, together with their Read more
LGBTQ pilgrims at a special Mass organised for them at World Youth Day (WYD) last Thursday found themselves facing a group of ultra-traditionalist Catholic protesters. Earlier that same day, Pope Francis spoke at three different venues, telling the half a million WYD pilgrims that the Church must be a home for everyone. Despite the Pope’s Read more
At World Youth Day on Friday, politics and devotion met briefly. Crux reports on August 5 that during a semi-private meeting, a Russian Orthodox bishop expressed regret for the Ukraine war, thanking Francis for supporting the Ukrainian people. “I would like to thank you very much for all you have done for the Ukrainian people,” Read more
On the third day of his visit to Portugal, Pope Francis delivered a heartfelt message of praise and encouragement to charitable outreach workers for their selfless dedication to ‘love in action.’ During the 37th World Youth Day (WYD) in Lisbon, the Pope commended representatives of aid and charitable centres, urging them to continue making life Read more
The Pope’s eyesight is not failing, the Vatican says. Observers had noted Francis set aside several prepared speeches at World Youth Day (WYD) in Portugal. Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni says there’s no cause to think the Pope’s eyesight is failing. Francis prefers to speak without notes, Brunei adds. It’s a pastoral preference. “The pope always Read more