Lisbon 2023: «WYD is a living witness that peace is possible», says Vatican official:

Lisbon, March 17, 2022 (Ecclesia) – Father Alexandre Awi Mello, secretary of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life (Holy See), said that the World Youth Day (WYD), which Lisbon will host in August 2023, it is a witness of peace and dialogue for all. “WYD comes at the right time to say that a new world is possible, a better world”, said the priest, in an interview with Agência ECCLESIA e Renascença. The Pope's collaborator is in the Portuguese capital, to accompany the preparations for WYD 2023, having presided over a Mass this Wednesday with the presence of several collaborators of the Holy See body, visiting the Local Organizing Committee (COL), and the participation of volunteers already involved in the preparation of the event. Father Alexandre Awi Mello pointed to the presence of young people from all over the world in Lisbon, imagining a scenario in which Ukrainian and Russian flags unite delegations from both countries in peace. “WYD is a living witness that peace is possible”, he underlined. The secretary of the dicastery responsible for monitoring WYD said that the next international edition of the event, which will take place for the first time on Portuguese soil, “is in good hands”.

“Our experience of these days, and not only, during the whole preparation, makes us realize that there is a lot of professionalism, a lot of passion, a lot of enthusiasm and a tremendous desire to welcome young people from all over the world”, he said. The ingredients needed to be able to hold a WYD are enthusiasm, with professionalism; a passion that has organizational consequences. And we can see that this is happening.” The secretary of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life stressed that WYD is a project that always has “many things that are beyond the control” of those who organize it, highlighting the unpredictability linked to the presence of pilgrims. “Until the last moment, we have the attitude of welcoming pilgrims, which means that there can be many last-minute surprises”, he exemplified, evoking “very beautiful experiences of this participation, which breaks all the schemes”. The official highlighted, on the other hand, that all the “things that can be foreseen and what must be done, such as general guidelines for the organization of a journey, will arrive on time”. Photo: ECCLESIA/PR Agency For the Brazilian priest, WYD is a mass event, with “its own rules”, and also an ecclesial event, “open to the action of the Holy Spirit, to a people who are on their way, who are pilgrims”. Francis called for a “creative” journey, in the most recent message he released regarding WYD 2023, evoking the context still marked by the Covid-19 crisis. “The Pope is very insistent that, from this pandemic, we will come out better or worse. We have to do everything possible to come out better: that means starting to think about things differently, taking other steps”, said Father Awi Mello. The interviewee highlighted the ability of young people to invent “new things” and give answers that no one had thought of. “It is necessary to take advantage of this confusion that the pandemic has generated to be able to rethink some things”, he maintained. According to the head of the Holy See, the objective is to welcome pilgrims “in the best possible way”, despite the difficulties of these times, offering an “opportunity for a fresh start”.

“For many, the journey means that. There are many stories of people who, during the days, rediscovered their faith, the Church, became enthusiastic again for the Gospel, for Jesus”, he recalled. The post-pandemic and, we hope, the post-war can mean, precisely, an opportunity to do things better, with more hope and conviction, in a period when the world will be reborn, discovering new lights, new paths " . This Wednesday's Mass was celebrated at the Church of Nossa Senhora dos Navegantes, in Parque das Nações, next to the area where WYD 2023 will take place, in Parque do Tejo. World Youth Day is a meeting of young people from all over the world with the Pope, it was instituted by John Paul II in 1985. The first edition took place in 1986, in Rome, and since then WYD has passed through the following cities: Buenos Aires (1987), Santiago de Compostela (1989), Czestochowa (1991), Denver (1993), Manila (1995), Paris (1997), Rome (2000), Toronto (2002), Cologne (2005), Sydney (2008) ), Madrid (2011), Rio de Janeiro (2013), Krakow (2016) and Panama (2019). On January 27, 2019, at the conclusion of World Youth Day in Panama City, it was announced that the choice for the next edition of World Youth Day would be Lisbon, where the meeting of young people from all over the world with the Pope will take place. between the 1st and 6th and August 2023.

Please see website below for photography of preparations etc…

Translated from Portuguese to English, from Original Article: https://agencia.ecclesia.pt/portal/lisboa-2023-jmj-e-um-testemunho-vivo-de-que-a-paz-e-possivel-diz-responsavel-do-vaticano-c-fotos/