Reflections on life, meaning and purpose

Don’t be afraid to change the world, Pope tells youths at World Youth Day closing Mass (CNS)

On August 6, the fifth and final day of his apostolic journey to Portugal, Pope Francis presided at the closing Mass of World Youth Day in Parque do Tejo in Libson.

An estimated 1.5 million people attended the Mass, concelebrated by some 30 cardinals, 700 bishops and 10,000 priests. Cardinal Manuel Clemente, the Patriarch of Lisbon, was the principal celebrant.

At the conclusion of Mass, the Pontiff announced that the next World Youth Day will take place in South Korea in 2027 and delivered his Sunday Angelus address. Later in the day, he met with World Youth Day volunteers at Passeio Marítimo de Algés before departing for Rome.