The Archbishop said in his homily: "Young people are the moral and human resources of our society and of the Church. They are capable of transforming everything positively, and of taking risks, as the teenager Mary of Nazareth did, if we are able to teach them to love as Jesus has loved us.”
The Archbishop then presented the official logo, featuring an iconic representation of the Isthmus of Panama and the Panama Canal, the World Youth Day Cross, the outline of the Virgin Mary with a five-point crown representing the five continents - elements that together form a heart.
The logo was designed by Ámbar Calvo, a young man of twenty who has already participated in several gatherings of WYD. His logo was chosen from 103 entries in a competition that began in February.
Some of the patrons of WYD 2019 were also mentioned: among them are St John Bosco and Blessed María Romero Meneses, Daughter of Mary Help of Christians (FMA).
One can observe in this regard that "the most beloved, most benevolent and most devoted saint in the world is Don Bosco" and that the day of his Feast, 31 January is a national holiday in Panama. For this reason, the Basilica of Don Bosco now has, in a special and clearly visible chapel, a casket containing a relic of the Saint of the Young.
Among the patron saints of this world gathering are also St John Paul II, St Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin, St Martín de Porres, St Rose of Lima, the martyred Archbishop, Blessed Oscar Arnulfo Romero and San José Sánchez del Río.
