St. John Paul II and Blessed Carlo Acutis Named among Patrons of World Youth Day 2023

Clemente said: “Each in their own time, the patrons of WYD Lisbon 2023 have shown that the life of Christ fills and saves young people of all times. We count on them, we leave with them.”

World Youth Day was established by Pope John Paul II in 1985. The week-long gathering usually attracts hundreds of thousands of young people.

The international event is typically held on a different continent every three years with the presence of the pope.

World Youth Day in Lisbon was initially scheduled for August 2022, but the Vatican postponed the event by a year due to the coronavirus crisis.

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The bishop overseeing preparations told CNA in 2021 that the event will be an opportunity to renew hope in the wake of the pandemic.

“I wish WYD Lisbon 2023 to be from and to all the people and that it can mean an opportunity to renew the hope in the post-pandemic period,” Bishop Américo Manuel Alves Aguiar said.