Beyond the Stamp: World Youth Day 2023 Opens

2023 World Youth Day (WYD/GMG) Reissued Stamp During the months of May, June and July, we reported on the controversy surrounding the Vatican City stamp issued to commemorate World Youth Day 2023. Today marks the opening day of this event in Lisbon, Portugal. World Youth Day is actually a six-day event, running from today through Sunday, August 6. First established by Pope Saint John Paul II in 1985, this one-week celebration features ceremonies, vigils, meetings and Masses, including the closing Mass where Pope Francis will deliver the Homily. The location of the gathering is about 100 miles from the Marian shrine dedicated to Our Lady of Fatima, who appeared to three peasant children in that area in 1917. Over the years, millions of pilgrims have visited the Shrine, including Popes Paul VI, John Paul II and Benedict XVI. Pope Francis is scheduled to visit the Shrine on Saturday, August 5, to participate in the recitation of the Holy Rosary with young people who are ill. Some of the events tied to World Youth Day will be televised in the United States on Catholic TV, which will get its feed from Vatican Media. A reference below to The Catholic TV Monthly magazine contains a broadcast schedule for World Youth Day events that may be viewed. REFERENCES: Wikipedia, World Youth Day 2023 The Catholic TV Monthly, August, 2023, page 13, The Catholic TV Monthly