The World Youth Day opening ceremony is taking place on Tuesday afternoon so those who have been arriving early have been exploring the Old Town of Krakow, a UNESCO World Heritage Centre boasting hundreds of historical buildings from medieval churches to Art Nouveau edifices, as well as the Divine Mercy Sanctuary and the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial – both within an hour of the city.
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“We bring to this meeting with Jesus during these days our personal experiences of living the Gospel in our hard world”. “We are all God’s children, redeemed by the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ”, the cardinal continued. The image of the Church depends on us – on our faith and sanctity.
“When you get a youth who hasn’t had this experience at all and you put them together with 3 million other Catholic youth, they feel that they are the Church”, Bosdachin told Angelus News. “It is up to us to ensure that the Gospel reaches those who have not yet heard about Christ or have not learnt enough about Him”. Most notably she looked forward to “meeting other youth that share common principles” and experiencing “a Mass celebrated by Pope Francis”. She has since led youth to Spain and Rio, and is now in Krakow with her largest group yet, hoping the experience further cements their faith. “My dear young friends, may these days be an opportunity to form your hearts and minds”, he said.
A Catholic teacher from the pope’s native Argentina, Clara Retta, told Catholic News Service she counted on Pope Francis to encourage young people to “go out to people and do things for others” and to bring a “message of joy and simplicity”. “Experience the merciful love of the Lord in the sacrament of reconciliation”.
“We come from “every nation under heaven”.
A Polish World Youth Day ambassador, Jan Mela, who founded a youth support group after losing an arm in a road accident, said he hoped Pope Francis would help young people to “find sense in life” and overcome a widespread sense of “dissatisfaction and fatalism”.
“Being a young Catholic myself in a world which seeks to separate us from our faith, I stay close to my faith through prayer, constantly assisting within my parish and trying to emulate God’s love and understanding to all those who I meet”, explained Leon. “We can face the challenges of the modern world, in which man chooses between faith and disbelief, good and evil, love and its rejection”.
There will be a candle-lit Stations of the Cross on the lawn of the St. John Paul II shrine, located just off the Catholic University campus.
“Returning to your countries, homes and communities, carry the spark of mercy, reminding everyone that “blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy” (Mt 5:7)”, Cardinal Dziwisz said.
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Universal: Human Solidarity: That the aged, marginalized, and those who have no one may find-even within the huge cities of the world-opportunities for encounter and solidarity.
