Less than two months before World Youth Day, the President of the Portuguese Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, has marked the proximity of the event that will take place in Lisbon from 1 to 6 August with a message addressed to all .
“It will be a great universal, open and ecumenical celebration,” is how Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa describes the meeting that will welcome Pope Francis and the “youth of the whole world,” in the “spirit that should be that of Portugal,” he says.
The President of the Republic highlights Pope Francis’ stay in Portugal, recalling that this will be the longest stay of a Pope in a country hosting WYD, as he will be on Portuguese soil between 2 and 6 August.
After four years of waiting because of the pandemic, the President recalls the great moments he had the opportunity to experience at other World Youth Days, and highlights the figure of the Pope, describing him as someone who “fights for peace and against inequalities”.
The Head of State concludes his message with the hope that Portugal will be a “platform between oceans, continents, cultures and peoples”.
