ReutersThe Pope in his Popemobile at the vigil
NOS Nieuws•morgen, 00:39
In Lisbon, an estimated 1.5 million people attended a vigil with Pope Francis. The vigil was held as part of World Youth Day, the Catholic event that is still held in the Portuguese capital to this day. There was singing, praying and dancing. The Pope gave a short speech.
Attendees had to pay quite a bit for a good spot in the Parque Tejo. Some people had been waiting for more than eight hours when the Pope appeared in his Popemobile. And that while it was about 38 degrees and the sun was shining exuberantly.
The World Youth Day app warned people to put on enough sunscreen and drink enough water. But some visitors had to wait up to 20 minutes to fill a water bottle. In addition, the event location has no shaded areas or locations to sit inside. A tractor with a water tank also sprayed water over the attendees. Many people also brought an umbrella to keep themselves a little cool.
‘Support each other’
In his speech, the pope encouraged young people to be “roots of joy” and to support each other, especially when someone is going through a tough time. “We should only look down on people when we help them get back up,” said the 86-year-old pope.
The coming morning the World Youth Day will be concluded with a closing service. It is expected that many people who attended the vigil yesterday will sleep over and also attend the closing service. In the evening the pope flies back to the Vatican.
Last week, the pope visited thirteen victims of sexual abuse within the Church on World Youth Day. Earlier this year, a commission of inquiry concluded that at least 4,815 minors in Portugal have been sexually abused within the church since 1950. According to the Vatican, the meeting with the victims lasted more than an hour.
AFPBig crowds in Tejo Park, Lisbon
2023-08-05 22:39:20
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