I’ve covered several World Youth Days and, as I told Jim and Joy Monday on “At Home,” these events are immensely energizing and uplifting – the sheer numbers of youths from around the world, covering them as they congregated and ate and sang and prayed and attended various catechetical sessions led by cardinals and bishops. You go to bed at night with a smile on your face and wake up the same way in the morning.
I remember each WYD as if it happened only a week ago and I could do one hour on TV or radio highlighting the stories, the events, the people who most impacted me. My first WYD was in Denver 1993 when I was an official member of the papal party as an employee of the Vatican at VIS, the Vatican Information Service. The last one I attended and covered was Madrid 2011. A thousand memories, each in living color!
FACTS, FIGURES AND THE HOLY FATHER: WYD LISBON 2023
(The following is from various media sources including EWTN and Aleteia) – Pope Francis arrived in Lisbon to participate in World Youth Day Lisbon 2023. This is his 42nd apostolic journey and his second visit to Portugal. He will visit the Fatima Shrine on Saturday. This is his fourth #WYD after Rio, Kraków and Panama City. #Lisboa2023
📅 WEDNESDAY AUGUST 2ND, 2023 📅
9:00 AM – Special Show
10:00 AM – Arrival of Pope Francis
11:15 AM – Pope Francis’ Visit to President
5:30 PM – Vespers with Bishops, Priests. (THIS WILL BE ON EWTN TV – CHECK YOUR TIME ZONE)
Friday evening the Pope will preside at the stations of the Cross in Lisbon’s Edward VII Park. Saturday morning he will make a side trip to Fatima, the second of his papacy. The first Pope to do so was Paul VI in 1967. Pope John Paul visited 3 times, and Benedict XVI once. The final big events in Lisbon are the youth day vigil Saturday night and the closing Mass Sunday. The Pope arrives back in Rome that evening.
The United States will be the 5th most numerous delegation in Lisbon, comprised of more than 28,600 individuals from 1,300 groups across the U.S. Like most young pilgrims, Americans will be staying in parishes, campuses, homes, and hotels around Lisbon. They will take part in prayer and liturgies, daily catechesis, concerts, presentations, dialogue, service, and networking with young adults from around the world. More than 35 bishops from the U.S. will also serve as lead bishops for the daily catechetical sessions called “Rise Up!”
The organizers said at the press conference that there are 354,000 registered pilgrims. 190-200,000 pilgrims are already in the city today. The organizers estimate to have close to a million faithful at the final mass on Sunday. (P.S. Lisbon population is 3 million)
Lisbon is hosting 688 bishops, including 30 cardinals. The countries with the most bishops represented are Italy (109), Spain (70), France (65), the United States (61) and Portugal (36).
1,750 pilgrims with a disability
The organizers have registered 1,753 pilgrims with some kind of disability. Among them, 135 are hearing impaired and 241 are visually impaired. In Lisbon, sign language interpreters will be on hand.
25,000 volunteers
To ensure the smooth running of the event, 25,000 people have signed up to serve as volunteers. They come mainly from Portugal, Spain, France, Brazil and Colombia.
In the Lisbon area, 1,626 public spaces were made available to welcome 294,151 pilgrims. Participants also benefited from the support of 8,831 host families, who accommodated 28,618 pilgrims.
The WYD Lisbon 2023 catering network is supported by 1,800 participating establishments, with a contract to supply 2.7 million meals for the event.
5,000 journalists
WYD Lisbon has counted 5,000 media professionals accredited to cover the event.
It is also known that 77 journalists accredited to the Holy See will travel from Rome to Lisbon on Pope Francis’ plane on August 2. They will follow him until his return to Rome on Sunday August 6.
Nearly 18,000 trees planted
In the spirit of Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’, the Lisbon WYD aims to be eco-responsible. Among the various initiatives, 17,980 trees have already been planted.
HIGHLIGHT: Prayer is a vital part of #WYD #Lisbon2023. Pilgrims from all countries are visiting the Fatima Shrine to pray in the place where Our Mother Mary appeared to 3 little shepherds over 100 years ago. Let’s pray for a fruitful World Youth Day!
MEDIA CENTER: The #WYD2023 Media Center is next to Lisbon’s Parque Eduardo VII, the location of the Opening Mass, the Welcome Ceremony with Pope Francis, and the Via Crucis. The center is open and has working spaces for more than 400 journalists. According to the organizers, about 5,000 professionals, including reporters, videographers and photographers, have been accredited to cover #WYD events.
EWTN will broadcast all the main events live through TV, radio, and social media.
#Lisboa2023
HIGHLIGHT: The Vocational Fair is one of the most special and successful initiatives of #WYD #Lisboa2023. Here pilgrims can learn about the testimonies of men and women who have given their lives to God in more than 150 congregations and movements.
All the international editions of World Youth Day to date!
John Paul II:
1987 Buenos Aires 🇦🇷
1989 Santiago de Compostela 🇪🇸
1991 Częstochowa 🇵🇱
1993 Denver 🇺🇸
1995 Manila 🇵🇭
1997 Paris 🇫🇷
2000 Rome 🇮🇹
2002 Toronto 🇨🇦
Benedict XVI:
2005 Cologne 🇩🇪
2008 Sydney 🇦🇺
2011 Madrid 🇪🇸
FRANCIS
2013 Rio 🇧🇷
2016 Kraków 🇵🇱
2019 Panama 🇵🇦
2023 Lisbon 🇵🇹
(Interesting that only two have been in North America, 1 in Denver, another in Toronto)
Joan's Rome 