The opening Mass of the World Youth Day in Lisbon was celebrated this August 1, and as the international event gets officially underway, the organizers are releasing the latest figures on participation. Every country in the world is represented, with the exception of the Maldives, according to the organizers.
(Maldives is the smallest Asian country, with a population of fewer than 400,000 people, and is only about 1.7 times the size of Washington, DC.)
354,000 pilgrims registered
The WYD Lisbon Foundation points out that the 2023 edition will be the one with the most nationalities represented - more than 200. The countries with the highest number of registered pilgrims are neighboring Spain (77,224), followed by Italy (59,469), Portugal itself (43,742), France (42,482) and the United States (19,196).
However, nearly a million people are expected to attend the vigil and final mass on August 5 and 6, in the Portuguese capital's vast Parc Tejo.
Nearly 700 bishops
Lisbon is hosting 688 bishops, including 30 cardinals. The countries with the most bishops represented are Italy (109), Spain (70), France (65), the United States (61) and Portugal (36).
1,750 pilgrims with a disability
The organizers have registered 1,753 pilgrims with some kind of disability. Among them, 135 are hearing impaired and 241 are visually impaired. In Lisbon, sign language interpreters will be on hand.
25,000 volunteers
To ensure the smooth running of the event, 25,000 people have signed up to serve as volunteers. They come mainly from Portugal, Spain, France, Brazil and Colombia.
In the Lisbon area, 1,626 public spaces were made available to welcome 294,151 pilgrims. Participants also benefited from the support of 8,831 host families, who accommodated 28,618 pilgrims.
The WYD Lisbon 2023 catering network is supported by 1,800 participating establishments, with a contract to supply 2.7 million meals for the event.
5,000 journalists
WYD Lisbon has counted 5,000 media professionals accredited to cover the event.
It is also known that 77 journalists accredited to the Holy See will travel from Rome to Lisbon on Pope Francis' plane on August 2. They will follow him until his return to Rome on Sunday August 6.
Nearly 18,000 trees planted
In the spirit of Pope Francis' encyclical Laudato Si', the Lisbon WYD aims to be eco-responsible. Among the various initiatives, 17,980 trees have already been planted.
