The World Youth Day 2023 Organizing Committee has decided to change the format of the activities planned for the Days in Dioceses. The “Catecheses” will be replaced by “Meetings with the Bishop”, which will encourage greater sharing between participants and the Bishops of the host dioceses.
The “Meetings with the Bishop” will first give a voice to young people, who will present their ideas on ecology, fraternity and economy. Afterwards, the bishop will take the floor. The moment will end with the celebration of mass.
In order to prepare for these meetings, the young people who will participate in WYD Lisbon 2023 will be invited to reflect on the encyclicals Laudate Si’ and Fratelli Tutti, and also on Francis’ new Economy.
“Américo Aguiar regretted that “the scheme of the WYD up to now has never foreseen that the young people would speak. “It was always arrive, listen, eat, drink, sleep, pray, dance, meet… talk never, and we thought it would be important to create the opportunity for young people to talk,” that is, “in an organized way, to be heard, because the Pope is always saying to listen to the cries of Mother Earth, of humanity.” “And the cries of young people?” concluded the Auxiliary Bishop of Lisbon.
