Pope Francis Arrives Lisbon for World Youth Day 2023

August 5, 2023176 views0

Pope Francis Arrives Lisbon for World Youth Day 2023

2023-08-05T09:38:59+01:00

By Church News

Arriving in Lisbon for World Youth Day, Pope Francis on Wednesday called on Portugal’s leaders to promote peace, families, and environmental stewardship, policies he said would help light “lamps of hope” across Europe.In his first hours in Portugal’s coastal capital, the Holy Father met with President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, Assembly President Augusto Ernesto dos Santos Silva, and other civil authorities at the Belém Cultural Center in Lisbon.In his address to the dignitaries, Francis described Lisbon as “a city of encounter which embraces many peoples and cultures,” one that is “grounded in a desire to be open to the world and to explore it.”“Lisbon, as an ocean city … reminds us of the importance of the whole, to think of borders as places of contact, not as boundaries that separate,” Francis said, claiming the current historical moment calls for “courageous courses of peace.”“A sea of young people is pouring into this hospitable city,” Pope Francis said, referring to the upcoming World Youth Day festivities. “Young people from around the world, who long for unity, peace, and fraternity, urge us to make their good dreams come true.” The week of events, the pope said, “represents a chance to build together” and “to put out into the deep and to set sail together towards the future.”Touching on his familiar theme of environmental stewardship, the pope said that despite major progress toward environmental renewal in Portugal and Europe, “the problem remains extremely grave.”The oceans, Pope Francis said, are becoming increasingly polluted; it “reminds us that human life is meant to be an integrated part of an environment greater than ourselves … How can we claim to believe in young people if we do not give them healthy spaces in which to build the future?”The Holy Father urged the assembly to “feel called, as brothers and sisters, to give hope to the world in which we live, and to this magnificent country.”ALSO READ:Archbishop Margaret Idahosa Celebrates 80th Birthday