Pope Francis ushered in the final hours of World Youth Day in Lisbon on Saturday by speaking off-the-cuff to an estimated 1.5 million worshippers
Pope Francis ushered in the final hours of World Youth Day in Lisbon on Saturday by speaking off-the-cuff to an estimated 1.5 million worshippers.
"Joy is missionary," he told the crowd gathered at Tejo Park in the Portuguese capital. "So, each of us has the duty to bring that joy to others."
He encouraged young people to be "roots of joy" and to support one another, especially when someone is down.
Earlier in the day Francis visited the central Portuguese town of Fátima and prayed in front of hundreds of thousands of worshippers at the Catholic pilgrimage site.
The pontiff made the brief detour to the location north of the capital, where the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared repeatedly to three shepherd children in 1917.
Mary still leads the faithful to Jesus today, Francis said after praying the Rosary with the crowd, which included many sick people and people with disabilities.
The pope's visit was added to his itinerary at relatively short notice. According to local authorities, some 200,000 people attended the event in the large square in Fátima.
Francis arrived by helicopter from Lisbon and then drove through the crowd in an open popemobile. He later sat down in front of the statue of Mary and prayed silently. It was announced earlier that he wanted to pray above all for world peace.
The pope visited Fátima in spring 2022 in connection with the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February. On that occasion, he consecrated Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, requesting the Blessed Mother's close care for those countries.
The ritual goes back to the apparitions of 1917, when Mary is said to have instructed the children to consecrate Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary so it would not abandon the Christian faith.
The pope is expected to return to the Vatican on Sunday following a farewell Mass.
