Bonn (epd). According to the Catholic German Bishops’ Conference, more than 300,000 young pilgrims from 151 countries have registered for the 37th World Youth Day in Lisbon from August 1st to 6th. Around 8,200 pilgrims and 17 bishops traveled from Germany, said auxiliary bishop Johannes Wübbe, chairman of the youth commission of the German Bishops’ Conference and diocesan administrator of the diocese of Osnabrück, on Monday.
Pope Francis is also expected to attend the major event from August 2nd. World Youth Day, initiated by Pope John Paul II, takes place in a different country about every three years. Francis has so far visited the World Youth Days in Rio de Janeiro (2013), Kraków (2016) and Panama City (2019).
The World Youth Day is based on the motto “Mary arose and set out in haste” from the Gospel of Luke, the bishops’ conference further announced. According to the information, many young people are already taking part in the “Days of Encounter” in the Portuguese dioceses from July 26 to 31, 2023. “Many are looking forward to the encounters, getting to know new cultures and the Holy Father,” added Auxiliary Bishop Wübbe.
Stefan Ottersbach, Federal President of the Association of German Catholic Youth (BDKJ), explained that many young Christians are looking forward to World Youth Day, “because in meeting other young people and in the services, they find the strength to unite the world better place”. Especially in times of wars, global injustices and climate crises, politics and the church have to listen to young people and take their concerns seriously.
During World Youth Day, pilgrims from Germany will have their own pilgrimage center, which will be set up in the Goethe Institute in Lisbon, it said. The Center for Vocational Pastoral Care from Frankfurt am Main and the Office for Youth Pastoral Care of the German Bishops’ Conference are jointly responsible for the German Pilgrim Center. A German pilgrim app is also available for World Youth Day.