Forty years have passed since that April 14, 1984, which saw the first gathering of young people in St Peter's Square, a fundamental event for the birth of today's WYD, the great international events that gather boys and girls from every continent around the Pope in some cities of the world. Initiated by St John Paul II, they have marked the last four decades of the Church: the last was held in Lisbon in August 2023 with Pope Francis; the next will be in Seoul, South Korea in 2027, preceded by the Youth Jubilee in Rome in 2025. That is why a Portuguese cardinal, Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça, Prefect of the Dicastery for Culture and Education, and a Korean cardinal, Cardinal Lazarus You Heung-sik, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Clergy, were invited to preside over the Masses for the two days of celebrations.
On Saturday, 13 April 2024, the activities opened exactly as they did 40 years ago, with young people gathered in St Peter's Square and then arrived in procession, with the WYD Cross, at the nearby San Lorenzo centre. The Eucharistic celebration took place there, in which Cardinal de Mendonça said: "Today we thank the Lord for the great inspiration that St John Paul II had when he convoked the first WYD. We are also grateful for how Pope Benedict XVI lived them and for how Pope Francis lives them, as an indispensable moment of the Church."
In recent years, the WYD has brought many fruits: "Fruits of hope and love, fruits of youth, of spring in the heart of the Church". He then recalled Jesus' invitation to all young people: "Come, touch, see, eat" to reiterate that: "Christ is decisive in the life of the human person. The importance of Christ is not an abstract theoretical truth, it is something we have touched on. ” The Cardinal also remarked that, during the WYD, young people from all over the world experience the joy of being believers, the joy of realising human fraternity, of embracing each other, of praying and adoring together, of listening, laughing, crying, of treasuring this experience of the Church. "This transforms life, has transformed the history of the great and continues to transform our life, our history. Christ does not want spectators. Christ wants us to be witnesses. And the witness is the one who says ‘I saw with my eyes, I heard with my ears, I touched ’. This makes us a missionary Church, an outgoing Church."
The cardinal then recalled the words of Pope Francis to encourage young people: "Do not stand on the balcony watching history go by, but stand in the middle of history making noise... But a noise that is not just noise, it is Good News". He also mentioned John Paul II when he said "that young people are the first evangelisers of other young people". “Christ is counting on you to heal His wounds. Jesus is counting on you to open up new horizons. Christ is counting on you to build not a culture of death, but a culture of life", added the head of the Dicastery, concluding his homily with the invitation to look at Mary, "present in every WYD" and " a point of reference that helps us to look at Christ".
Also present at the Mass were Gleison De Paula Souza, Secretary of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life; the Shalom Community, which takes care of pastoral care in the church at the San Lorenzo centre and also many of the people who were present years ago at the 1984 meeting. The day ended with a vigil of prayer and adoration of the Cross and the "Rise up" catechesis.
On Sunday, 14 April the San Lorenzo centre again hosted the celebration of Mass, at 6:15 pm, presided over by Cardinal You Heung-sik, followed by a moment of testimonies.
The San Lorenzo International Youth Centre, opened by Saint John Paul II on 13 March 1983, is "the Pope's Centre for all young people, a place of welcome and prayer, the seat of the Youth Cross, a reference point for young pilgrims in Rome, a place of information and a privileged place for the preparation of WYD". It is under the patronage of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life and is also animated by the missionaries of the Shalom Catholic Community. It is located in via Padre Pancrazio Pfeiffer, 24, a few steps from St Peter's Square, and welcomes young people of different nationalities and languages, who can participate in moments of prayer, sharing, witness and celebration.
Source: Vatican News
