An army of 25,000 young people, of an average age of 28, two-thirds of them young women, from 150 countries. They are the "surfers of love", as the Pope calls them, the volunteers who rode the waves of charity and "made these unforgettable days" of WYD in Lisbon possible. The Pope meet them at the Passeio maritimo de Algés, the final appointment before the Pope's return to the Vatican. These young people who have applauded, sung and praised the Pope, and who have worked away for months far "from the hype and limelight", have become an example, Francis explained, for having "teamed up in working together!"
The volunteers welcomed the Pope with a greeting video in which they explained the reasons that led them to undertake the experience of being volunteers, each moved by a different wish and need. A profound joy that is told by three testimonies: Chiara, Francisco and Felipe, who told the Pope what it means to feel like a living Church, the meaning of this journey and pilgrimage to WYD. And the pope summed up well how important the work of these young people has been when he said that "those who love do not sit on their hands, those who love serve" just as Mary "arose and went in haste" to Elizabeth, the theme of this WYD.
"Those who love run to serve, run to engage in service to others. And you ran, huh? You've run a lot in these months!" the Pope suggested with real empathy This has been the work of all the volunteers who, over these months and days have responded to a thousand needs, Francis pointed out, occasionally looking tired, other times a little overwhelmed by the urgent demands of each moment:
"I noticed something" the Holy Father continued, "that your eyes were bright, bright with the joy of service: thank you. You have made this world youth meeting possible, you have done great things in the smallest gestures, such as the bottle of water offered to a stranger: this creates friendship."
"You have run a lot" Francis continued "but not with the frantic and aimless race that our world is sometimes... You ran differently, you ran to others, to serve others in the name of Jesus. You came to Lisbon to serve and not to be served: thank you, thank you very much!"
The Pope therefore offered himself as an "amplifier", to resonate what was said in the testimonies of Chiara, Francisco and Felipe: all three "spoke of a special encounter with Jesus", of the encounter that "makes one continue seriously and makes life go on", because the encounter with Jesus "is the most important one in our lives", and renewing it every day "is the heart of Christian life. And it must be renewed every day to keep it fresh, not only in the head, but also in the heart."
Francis' farewell from Lisbon and to young people at the WYD took place with an image from Nazaré, a town north of Lisbon, where the waves can be up to 30 metre high. They are "a worldwide attraction for surfers who ride them," said Francis, comparing them to the "real wave: not of water, but of young people, young people like you, who have poured into this city." A wave that the volunteers rode "with the help of God, with such generosity" and supporting each other.
Hence the evocative concluding appeal from the Pontiff: "I want to tell you to continue like this, continue to ride the waves of love, the waves of charity, be ‘surfers of love’! And this is the task that I entrust to you at this moment: that the service you have given at this World Youth Day be the first of many waves of goodness; each time you will be brought higher, closer to God, and this will allow you to see your path from a better perspective.”
