What Awaits the Pope in Brazil?

Pope Francis is now in Brazil. Our first Latin American Pope has some very intense days ahead of him at the World Youth Day being held this year, 2013, in Rio de Janeiro. It will be an event of huge proportions, especially judging by the figures surrounding this WYD.

Some say the number of participants could reach four million. As of last week, more than a million and a half pilgrims had officially registered, mostly from Latin America. This is the first WYD held in South America, and it will also be attended by the first Latin American Pope.

Other figures confirmed in recent days also point to a historic event on a grand scale. A few days ago it was announced that 5,550 journalists from around the world had been accredited to cover WYD Rio, surpassing the record of WYD Madrid 2011. The whole world will have its eyes on this great event.

Several weeks ago the Pope said he was happy to be going to Rio for the World Youth Day, and he asked young people to prepare themselves well spiritually so that the gathering would be a sign of faith for the whole world, so that people would see that it is good to follow Jesus, to walk with him, to embrace his message, and to go out to the peripheries of the world and of human existence to bring Jesus to others.

Some may think these young people are going to Rio just to have fun. And of course they will have fun and a wonderful time. Several young Venezuelans who are already there have written to tell me that they are living a unique experience, having a great time immersed in an incredible spiritual atmosphere. They will enjoy themselves, but they will also be formed in their faith and will listen very attentively to the message the Pope addresses to each of them.

As of last week, 300 venues had been booked in Rio for catechesis sessions, including churches, halls, gyms and auditoriums. In all there will be catechesis in about 20 languages, among them Arabic, Croatian, Danish, Slovenian, Greek, Czech and Russian. More than 150 religious communities and congregations will also have stands at the WYD Vocations Fair.

It is worth remembering that this 28th World Youth Day is taking place during the Year of Faith, with the motto “Go and make disciples of all nations.” More and more young people are aware of how important it is to live their faith consistently so that they can pass it on to others. In a world of so much confusion and moral relativism, the message of the Christian faith is essential to help many disoriented young people find the path to true happiness.

In his message to the participants, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI said, in essence, that young Christians should be the first missionaries in the world, using the internet to spread the Gospel and knowing their faith as thoroughly as a computer specialist knows his computer’s operating system.

So our Pope Francis has a great challenge. Having become a great spiritual leader and a great communicator, he will use this opportunity to give young Catholics a clear, powerful message that they can take to heart, put into practice in their lives, and then pass on to others in their communities and to the whole world, through social media, as Benedict XVI said.

It is very hopeful to see so many young people who want to hear about the Gospel, about Christ, about God’s Church, about how they can be happy following the “narrow way” Jesus Christ spoke of, being exemplary Christians and living to serve rather than to be served.

Once again that “minority” of practicing young people will come together in a crowd of millions! and realize that there are many more of them than they imagined, and that they have a great deal to offer a disoriented world where some have tried to replace values with anti-values that have left nothing but unhappiness in those who live by them.

Let us pray hard in these days for Pope Francis and for all these young people, that they may have a wonderful encounter that helps them grow in their faith and fills them even more with God’s love. That Love will turn them into apostles of Jesus Christ, eager to carry the Word of God to every corner of the world. That is the great hope of the whole world! Courage, young people: enjoy yourselves wholesomely and prepare yourselves to be the very best, because Christ expects a great deal from each one of you!

To see the Pope’s full program in Brazil, visit: http://www.aciprensa.com/noticias/infografia-la-agenda-del-papa-francisco-en-la-jmj-rio-2013-11019/