Pope Francis Joins Hundreds of Thousands of Young People in Portugal for World Youth Day 2023

Pope Francis has traveled to Portugal to join hundreds of thousands of young people for World Youth Day 2023, hosted by the city of Lisbon. More than 500,000 youth attended the official welcome ceremony with the Holy Father, including 5,000 Canadians who have made the pilgrimage to Portugal. Canada hosted World Youth Day in 2002, with Toronto serving as the host city, welcoming Pope John Paul II.

"Everyone needs to know that God is near, and that all he needs is a small response on our part in order to fill our lives with wonder," Pope Francis told the energetic crowd.

You can access the full texts of the Holy Father’s remarks throughout World Youth Day by clicking here.

You can also watch World Youth Day coverage on Salt & Light Catholic Television Network or EWTN. Highlights of the gathering of Canadian pilgrims in Lisbon can be viewed here.

We pray for all the young pilgrims gathered from around the world, that World Youth Day may be a time of prayer, reflection and joy, especially for those traveling from the Archdiocese of Toronto and throughout Canada.