Rio de Janeiro (AsiaNews) - At least 400 thousand young people took part in Mass on Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, marking the beginning of World Youth Day (WYD). Inclement weather, with wind and rain showers, persisted throughout the day but did not dampen the celebration, presided over by the Archbishop of Rio, Msgr. Orani Joao Tempesta. In a whirlwind of flags from around the world - there are 175 countries present - Msgr. Orani said that these days, "Rio has become the center of a vibrant and young Church".
The WYD is in its 28th edition. This year's theme is "Go and make disciples of all nations." The Archbishop of Rio pointed to this missionary character of the event. "Go into the city - he said - witness Jesus Christ, commit to a new world, infected everyone you meet with the joy and peace of Christ, as sentinels of the morning, working to renew the world in light of God's plan."
Card. Stanislaw
Rylko, President of the Pontifical Council for the Laity - which oversees the
WYD events - welcomed the young people at the beginning of the celebration,
noting that the youth gathering is returning to Latin America, after the
memorable World Youth Day in Buenos Aires in 1987, commissioned by John Paul II. The Rio
edition, commissioned and prepared by Benedict XVI, is presided over by Pope
Francis, "the first Latin American pope." And
echoing all these popes, he added: "This World Youth Day takes place at
the foot of the statue of Christ the Redeemer of Corcovado. He is the true protagonist
of this event! His
heart beats with infinite love for each of you and his arms are wide open are
ready to welcome all of you! During this World
Youth Day, let yourself be embraced by Christ! Entrust
Him with all your desires, your plans for the future, your deepest joys;
entrust him with the difficult choices you are called to make, your fears and the
anxieties that inhabit your young hearts! Youth
is in itself an enormous wealth: it is yours and you must make it bear fruit! Entrust it to Christ! Those
who choose Christ, lose nothing, absolutely nothing, - on the contrary -they gain
everything and find true happiness and fullness of life. "
Yesterday
Pope Francis spent a day of relative rest, meeting some bishops and nuns. Today he will have several
appointments. The
most important is his visit to the shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida, patroness
of Brazil, and a visit to the hospital in Rio Sao Francisco de Assis, in the
Tijuca neighborhood, that specializes in rehabilitation for drug addicts.