The Pope’s visit to Portugal was watched in person by a huge crowd, and addressing young Catholics from all over the world, the cleric urged them to avoid the false happiness promised by social networks, writes Reuters.
According to the police, the crowd of spectators was about half a million people, and previously Lisbon was so full in 2016 when the Portuguese national team won the European football championship.
One of the spectators of the Pope’s visit said: “It’s incredible because Portugal is such a small country that it seems that nobody knows about it, so
it’s good to know that we are hosting an event of this importance. We are happy.”
The Thursday evening parade, the 3rd of August, was the first of several events the Pope will attend during World Youth Day, which takes place every three years in a different city. The Youth Days will end on Sunday, the 6th of August, and a delegation from Latvia also attend the event.
Half a million young people from all over the world praying the Our Father together with Pope Francis here in Lisbon. #WorldYouthDay pic.twitter.com/CUH4O1Lih6
— Colm Flynn (@colmflynnire) August 3, 2023
Addressing the singing crowd of young people, Pope Francis called to beware of social network giants, whose algorithms use the information for market research but are unable to understand the uniqueness of each personality.
?VIDEO | Pope Francis in his first words to the young people of the world at #WYD #Lisbon2023: You are not here by chance. God calls you by your name, and for Jesus, each one is important. pic.twitter.com/mu64cPHVML
— EWTN Vatican (@EWTNVatican) August 3, 2023
Francis said that God is not a “search engine” and does not give simple, clear answers, but encourages people to seek the truth.
Youth days are taking place in the shadow of yet another Catholic Church scandal. Half a year ago, a report revealed that at least 4,815 minors had been sexually abused by clerics over seven decades.
Read also: Pope Francis calls to world leaders to address climate change more actively