More than 600 young Belgians are expected to take part in the next Worth Youth Day (WYD), which will take place on 1-6 August 2023 in Lisbon, Portugal, “Church4you”, the Belgian French-speaking Catholic religious service announced on Wednesday.
WYD is an event organised by the Catholic Church for young people. The initiative was launched in 1984 by then-pope John Paul II. The event is held every two or three years in different countries across the world.
Each event gathers up to several million participants each year. The highest ever number of participants was recorded in 1995 in Manila, the Philippines. Back then, 5 million people took part in the event.
The event is principally dedicated to catechesis, the religious education of children, but also youth events such as concerts, exhibitions, pilgrimages, and opportunities for Christian youth to socialise.
WYD ends after several days with a mass initiated by the Pope. This year, Church4you estimates that more than 600 young Belgians will travel to the celebrations as part of the organisation, also noting that it expects that “other groups from the French-speaking and Dutch-speaking parts of the country” are likely to attend.
According to a spokesperson for the Bishops of Belgium, Tommy Scholtes, this could bring the total number of young Belgian faithful to 2,000. Before arriving in Lisbon, Belgian youth will travel to the Portuguese city of Portimao to take part in the “Welcome to Paradise” international Christian festival, which is scheduled for 26-31 July.
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Young people aged 18-130 can take part in the “Church4you route” to WYD, as well as minors aged 16- to 17-years-old when accompanied by an adult.
Last year’s WYD took place on 23-27 January 2019 in Panama. The event was postoponed for several years due to the global health crisis.
