The Holy See has released Pope Francis's schedule for his trip to Portugal in August for World Youth Day 2023.
According to Vatican News Tuesday, the pontiff will arrive in Lisbon's Figo Maduro air base on Aug. 2, where Portuguese president Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa will greet him at the Belém Palace. Later that day, he will meet prime minister António Costa and will celebrate Vespers at the Jerónimos Monastery.
On Aug. 3, the pope will be greeted by the Catholic University of Portugal students. Then, he will head to Cascais to greet the youth at the headquarters of his personal charity, Scholas Occurrentes. The pontiff will return to Lisbon's Edward VII Park for the formal opening of the World Youth Day.
The pope's schedule on Aug. 4 would be dedicated to hearing confessions in the morning, having lunch with young people at noon, and leading the congregation in praying the Stations of the Cross at night.
On Aug. 5, the pope is scheduled to visit the Virgin Mary's apparition site in Fatima. He will ride a helicopter to the shrine of Our Lady of Fatima and pray with the sick at the Chapel of Apparitions before returning to Lisbon by noon. Later in the evening, the pope will meet the local members of his religious order, the Society of Jesus, and attend the vigil at Tejo Park.
The pope's last day of the visit is on Aug. 6, where he will either offer or preside the concluding Mass for World Youth Day at Tejo Park. Then, he will have one final meeting with World Youth Day volunteers at the Passeio Marítimo de Algés before the farewell ceremony at Figo Maduro air base for his flight back to Rome.
World Youth Day is the Catholic Church's triennial event which brings together its young adherents worldwide. This year's event, which was delayed due to COVID-19, would be Francis's fourth since his election in 2013.
The largest World Youth Day event to date was in Manila back in 1995, during the pontificate of John Paul II.
