Pope Francis is heading to Lisbon for the World Youth Day, a gathering of young Catholics from around the world. However, the event is overshadowed by the clergy sexual abuse scandal in Portugal and criticism of its high costs.
The event, initially conceived by the late Pope John Paul for young Catholics in their teens or early 20s, takes place every two or three years in different cities. This will be the first gathering since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Pope Francis, 86, will be making his first trip since his June intestinal surgery and will be using a wheelchair and cane.
The city of Lisbon is preparing for the arrival of hundreds of thousands of young people by setting up stages, installing screens, and displaying posters of Pope Francis across the city. However, the event takes place against the backdrop of a recent report from a Portuguese commission that revealed at least 4,815 minors were sexually abused by clergy, primarily priests, over a span of seven decades.
Filipa Almeida, a 43-year-old survivor of clergy abuse and a co-founder of the association Coracao Silenciado (Silenced Heart), expressed hope that the Church would take action to address the issue during the event. Pope Francis is expected to meet privately with abuse victims.
In addition to the abuse scandal, there have been criticisms of the event’s costs in Portugal, one of Western Europe’s poorest nations. Amid low salaries, inflation, and a housing crisis, many Portuguese are struggling to make ends meet. The Lisbon local government has denied accusations that homeless people are being removed from the city’s streets.
During his visit, Pope Francis will also travel to Fatima, a town north of Lisbon with religious significance. The Church believes that the Virgin Mary appeared to three poor shepherd children in Fatima in 1917.
(Reporting and writing by Catarina Demony in Lisbon and Philip Pullella in Rome; Editing by Alexandra Hudson)
Credit: The Star : News Feed
