The fifth day of World Youth Day began with the departure of the pilgrims towards Campo da Graça.
With the heat not letting up and tiredness already showing some signs, the pilgrims did not lower their arms and went on, with joy and in a festive atmosphere, to see Pope Francis and to be present at the Vigil.
Very devoted to Our Lady of Fatima, Pope Francis travelled to Fatima to pray the rosary in the Chapel of the Apparitions with young patients. Amid applause and songs, the Holy Father blessed those who were waiting for him and, once again, left a strong message: “The Church has no doors, so that everyone can enter”.
On his return to Lisbon, and after a private meeting with the members of the Society of Jesus, at the College of São João de Brito, Pope Francis headed to Campo da Graça to celebrate the Vigil with the young people, who awaited him with joy, resilience and great faith.
About 1.5 million pilgrims prayed with Francis, on a night when the sky – of unrivalled beauty – was also prepared to receive the Pope. For hours on end there was no shortage of music, enthusiasm and the classic cry “This is the Pope’s youth”.
After the words of Pope Francis, who, in a new message of inclusion, stated that the only time it is permissible to look down on someone is when “we are helping someone to get up”, there followed a deafening silence that marked the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament.
The evening ended with the certainty that the next day’s sending-off Mass would again be a very emotional moment.
