Pope Francis will be in Portugal from August 2 to 6, 2023, for the 37th World Youth Day (WYD) in Lisbon, the Holy See Press Office announced on May 22. During this trip, his 42nd journey abroad, the Pope will also visit the Shrine of Fatima on August 5. He already visited this sanctuary in 2017, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Marian apparitions.
This will be the 86-year-old Pontiff’s fourth WYD since his election in 2013. His first trip abroad as the newly elected Pope Francis was to the WYD in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He then went to WYD in Krakow, Poland, in 2016, and in Panama City, Panama, in 2019.
More than 600,000 people have now registered to attend this year's event in Lisbon, which is now a little over two months away. The theme of this year’s WYD is "Mary rose and went in haste." The program published on the organization's website features several meetings with the Pope, as is the tradition at every WYD. These include a "welcome ceremony" on August 3, a Way of the Cross on August 4, a prayer vigil on August 5 and a final open-air Mass on August 6.
During his five days in Portugal, the head of the Catholic Church will also visit the Shrine of Fatima, some 120 kilometers (around 75 miles) from the capital. This will be his second visit to the Shrine as he went in 2017 on occasion of the 100th anniversary of the apparitions of the Virgin Mary to the three shepherd children Lucia Santos, Francisco and Jacinta Marto.
Portugal will be Pope Francis' third international destination in 2023, after a trip to Africa - Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan - in February, as well as to Hungary in late April. On his way back from Budapest, the Pontiff, whose mobility has been reduced for over a year, spoke to journalists about his health: "You see, it is not the same as two years ago, but with the cane... things are better.” "Yes, I will go [to Lisbon] and I hope to manage it," he said.
A trip to Marseille is supposed to occur on September 23. Pope Francis has also mentioned several times a trip to Mongolia.
