In July 2016, hundreds of thousands of young people from around the world met with the pope in Krakow for World Youth Day. There, they decided to meet once again in Panama, in January 2019.
Marek Jędraszewski, who is the current Archbishop of Krakow, has various tips for future participants.
MSGR. MAREK JĘDRASZEWSKI
Archbishop of Krakow
“I advise young people to prepare well for this encounter. It can't just be an event for two, three or four days that later ends. It's an opportunity to prepare through a deepening of one's own faith.”
From those days in Krakow, the archbishop especially remembers the joy of attendees and two encounters with Pope Francis.
The first was this massive Way of the Cross in a park in central Krakow, in which a group of actors introduced a modern take on some moments from the Passion of the Christ.
The other one was a closing ceremony before more than one and a half million people in a large area called the “Campus of Mercy.”
As Archbishop of Krakow, Jędraszewski is also successor to the patron of World Youth Days, John Paul II.
MSGR. MAREK JĘDRASZEWSKI
Archbishop of Krakow
“For young people, he was like a father – one who loved them and expected much at the same time. They knew he expected them to live a clean life, respecting rules of moral conscience. At the same time, as he loved them, he trusted in them.”
The Polish archbishop says some of his favorite advice from John Paul II is the phrase “Don't be afraid.” It's useful advice for young and old alike.
