In just a few days, Pope Francis will travel to WYD in Lisbon. So, during the Angelus, he asked the pilgrims present to pray for this worldwide event.
POPE FRANCIS
I ask you to join me in prayer as I travel to Portugal starting this Wednesday for World Youth Day.
Lisbon will be the fourth World Youth Day for Pope Francis after Rio de Janeiro, Krakow and Panama City.
During the Angelus reflection, the Pope also commented on the grain crisis in Ukraine. He has pointed out on other occasions that this basic element of life for so many people cannot be used as a weapon.
POPE FRANCIS
This is a grave offense to God because grain is His gift to feed humanity, and the cry of millions of starving brothers and sisters goes up to Heaven. I urge my brothers, the authorities of the Russian Federation, to restore the Black Sea initiative so that the grain can be transported safely.
And Pope Francis did not overlook the fact that August 4 will mark the third anniversary of the explosion in the port of Beirut. The Pope expressed his prayers for the victims, for their families and for Lebanon, so that it can find a solution to its internal crisis.
JRB
TR: KG