Pope Francis became the first person to register for the upcoming World Youth Day in Lisbon, Portugal, by clicking on a tablet in front of the St. Peter’s Square throng.
The pope announced that registration is now open for World Youth Day 2023, the largest international gathering of Catholic youth, which will take place from August 1 to 6, 2023.
Pope Francis stated on Oct. 23: “Dear young people, I invite you to register for this conference in which, after a long period of separation, we will rediscover the joy of the fraternal embrace between peoples and generations, which we so much need.”
At the conclusion of his Angelus talk, Pope Francis invited Portuguese youths to join him in the window of the Apostolic Palace for the announcement.
According to the event’s organizers, those between the ages of 16 and 35 are the target audience for World Youth Day. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the international event, which is generally hosted on a different continent every three years, has been postponed until 2023.
In 1985, Saint John Paul II organized the weeklong youth meeting. Past World Youth Days have attracted millions of participants.
Lisbon, the Portuguese capital that will host World Youth Day in 2023, is only 120 kilometers (75 miles) from Fatima, one of the most frequently visited Marian pilgrimage destinations. In 1917, the Virgin Mary appeared at Fatima to three young shepherds with a message of peace and a request for prayer.
The theme of World Youth Day in Lisbon is “Mary awoke and went quickly.” In his speech for the occasion, Pope Francis exhorted young people to “not delay all the good that the Holy Spirit can do in you.”
“The moment has come to arise! Let us, like Mary, “arise and leave quickly.” “Let us carry Jesus in our hearts and share him with everyone we encounter,” stated the pope.