1,000 Indians head for World Youth Day in Lisbon

By Jessy Joseph

New Delhi, July 20, 2023: Around 1,000 Indians will be among 1 million young people expected at the World Youth Day in Lisbon, capital of Portugal.,

The Indian delegation for the August 1-6 event, validated by the Youth Office of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, will comprise 241 officials and nearly 900 youth and their animators.

“Some other groups like Jesus youth and religious congregations have left already,” Father Chetan Machado, secretary of the CBCI youth office, told Matters India on July 19.

A group of 24 youth from Tamil Nadu left for Lisbon on July 18, led by Father Martin Joseph, regional secretary for the youth office.

The Tamil Nadu team is part of the national team and will join them in Lisbon, said Father A. Arputharaj. secretary, Youth Commission Archdiocese of Pondicherry who is part of the Tamil Nadu team.

Speaking from Milan, he said the team will spend some days in Italy on a pilgrimage before heading for Lisbon.

Another group of 51 members, led by Ignatius D’ Souza of Bareilly and Father Machado, will leave on July 25.

The international gathering of young people was originally scheduled for summer 2022. This was announced by Pope Francis and Bishop Kevin Farrell at the end of the closing Mass of World Youth Day 2019 in Panama City, Panama.

Originally scheduled to be held August from 2–7, 2022, the Vatican announced on April 20, 2020, that it will be postponed until August 2023 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This is the first time Lisbon is hosting the event for which Pope has chosen “Mary arose and went with haste”(Lk 1:39) as the motto.

The biblical phrase opens the account of Mary’s visit to her cousin Elizabeth, a biblical episode following the angel’s announcement to Mary that she would be the mother of the Son of God.

The action of standing up presents Mary as both a woman of charity and a missionary. Leaving in haste represents the attitude depicted in Pope Francis’ indications for WYD Lisbon 2023: “May young people’s evangelization be active and missionary, for this is how they will recognize and witness the presence of the living Christ.”

The Pope challenges young people to become courageous missionaries.