It has been 40 years since this moment.
In 1984, Pope John Paul II scheduled a gathering of young people for Palm Sunday. The Vatican expected the arrival of 60,000 people. On that day, 250,000 people attended the meeting in St. Peter's Square.
This event sparked a desire in the Pope: to organize an annual gathering for young Catholics. This proposal would later become what is known as World Youth Day. In 2023, more than one million people from 150 countries participated in World Youth Day in Portugal.
CARD. JOAO BRAZ DE AVIZ
World Youth Day is a phenomenon that Pope John Paul II pioneered. It is very interesting to see the connection between someone older like the Pope and young people.
Many credited Pope John Paul II with inventing World Youth Day. But he replied, “It was the young people who created it.”
To commemorate the 40th anniversary of this first meeting, the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life and the John Paul II Foundation for Youth have organized a series of events to be held on April 13 and 14.
The celebration begins on Saturday at 6pm with a procession from St. Peter's Square to the International Youth Center San Lorenzo with the WYD Cross. This is the same cross the Polish pope gave to young people at that first meeting in 1984 and which has been present at every WYD since. After the procession, there will be a vigil of prayer and adoration of the cross. On Sunday at 6:15 p.m., at the same youth center, a Mass will be offered. As of right now, Pope Francis is not expected to be present.
PA
TR: KG
