Student Embarks on World Youth Day Journey in Lisbon

Flag of Portugal 

Earlier this summer, thousands of young people gathered traveled to Lisbon, Portugal to celebrate World Youth Day, a global gathering organized by the Catholic Church, from August 1 to 6, 2023. Among them was Seton Hall University student, Jasmine De Leon, a senior double majoring in international relations and Catholic studies, who not only participated in this global gathering, but was selected by the Office of the Provost to represent Seton Hall as the 2023 Youth Envoy.

Jasmine De Leon

She shared her experiences, interactions and more on the Instagram account, @shuenvoy, and took a moment to chronicle her days through real-time reflections. Learn more about this year’s World Youth Day and De Leon’s experience below.

Pope Francis said in his World Youth Day message that the Church "needs young people."

"When I go to the church in my neighborhood, I see only old people,” Francis said. "The Church is not an old people's club any more than it is a youth club. If it becomes something for old people, it will die."

World Youth Day is a global gathering of hundreds of thousands of young people with the Pope of the Catholic Church. One goal of the event is to celebrate the youth of the Church, who are its future. This year, from August 1 to August 6, World Youth Day was located in Lisbon, Portugal, bringing together young people from over 150 countries. The event, organized by the Catholic Church, takes place about every three years. The idea of World Youth Day began with Pope John Paul II, who brought together over 300,000 youth in Rome for the International Jubilee of Youth in 1984. Ever since, there have been 12 World Youth Days held in countries such as Panama, the Philippines, Poland, the United States and Brazil.

As the 2023 Seton Hall Youth Envoy, I traveled both as a pilgrim and a representative of the university to explain and share up-to-date information about each day of the event. I posted interviews, highlighting pilgrims I met, and posts about my daily experiences. Please follow me @shuenvoy to learn more, and I invite you to read my travel diaries and reflections.

Day 1: Tour and Opening Mass
The first excursion today was to The Cathedral of St. Mary Major, the Cathedral of Lisbon, and the surrounding town. Each street was lined with people - in lines for food or for historical sites, in large crowds that somehow shove every person around, and pockets of pilgrims sitting together eating food on top of cobblestone streets. There was music that would come and go - singing from French, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish groups in the subways and alleys - who jumped and cheered songs from their home countries, while a few pilgrims proudly waved their bright flags. At least once an hour, young people approached me and asked "where are you from?", and their eyes lit with interest when I said I am from New Jersey ("it’s next to New York", I added).

When I entered the Cathedral of Lisbon, I was struck by how loud it was. Most cathedrals I enter are quiet and reserved, but the Cathedral of St. Mary Major was buzzing with sweaty crowds. I had never seen this many young people in a cathedral before.

Over 200,000 pilgrims attended the opening mass

The largest gathering on Day 1 was the opening mass, estimated to have brought over 200,000 pilgrims to Lisbon’s Edward VII park. For context, this is more than the total number of fans who attended all three Taylor Swift Eras concerts at MetLife Stadium in May! There were so many people that we could not see the altar, the large projection of the altar, or the screen behind us. But the music, which sounded like an opera album, was beautiful and echoed through the hills of tightly packed pilgrims.

Cardinal Manuel Clemente, the Patriarch of Lisbon, welcomed all pilgrims to Portugal in his homily and talked about the motto and biblical passage Pope Francis selected for World Youth Day: "Mary arose and went with haste" (Luke 1:39). Cardinal Clemente said that as Catholics, we should follow Mary’s example of receptivity and openness to encounter.

Seton Hall pilgrims on their way to the opening mass

"Much of this is lacking even in the world we are in, when we neither notice the presence of others, nor notice others we meet the way we should," Cardinal Clemente said. "In fact, every meeting we have must begin with a true greeting, in which we exchange words of sincere welcome and full sharing."

Eucharistic ministers walked all the way up the hill we were sitting on to deliver communion, and we used our radios to tune into 107 FM to hear the mass in English. After mass, my American friend, who is also Filipino, and I approached a young German pilgrim wearing a Filipino flag, and we too became friends. Shortly after, a Filipino volunteer greeted us because of the flag and her group (from Manila) cheered with is, which made me feel at home.

Students attending a session

Day 2 to 4: "Rise Up Sessions"
From Day 2 to Day 4, World Youth Day pilgrims attended Rise Up Sessions, gatherings where young people discussed the themes of Pope Francis’ pontificate (his tenure as Pope) to open conversations and deepen understanding of the faith. Seton Hall attended sessions with other English-speaking groups from England, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Taiwan and the United States. Each day is devoted to one theme. Day 2 focused on integral ecology, a concept that advocates for an interdisciplinary and integrative approach to the world’s ecological crisis. This idea was introduced in Laudato si’, Pope Francis’ book that advocates for addressing environmental degradation from a Catholic ethical perspective.

Jasmine De Leon with Catholic University of Portugal President Isabel Capeloa Gil

On Day 2, I visited the Catholic University of Portugal to meet its President, Isabel Capeloa Gil, and attend an event on integral ecology, specifically about how universities play a crucial role in building a culture that recognizes the dignity of each person and strives to solve problems like climate change and war. President Capeloa Gil said a university should be both a place of learning and transformation, and a Catholic University should be a place "not of comfort, but of disruption and recognition."

"A university is a place where you find no comfort in knowledge, in culture – it should be a place where you recognize these differences. A university is a place where you have to be disrupted, very much like our Lord Jesus Christ says in our Gospel," Capeloa Gil said. "A university is a place of engagement, of recognition – a place where every individual should be recognized – in her or his path – to shape a future where aspiration is possible."

President Capeloa Gil said education plays an important role in fostering fraternity and recognition, which is based on the second theme of the 2023 World Youth Day: social friendship. This idea comes from Fratelli Tutti, Pope Francis’ book on friendship, better politics, dialogue, and interreligious cooperation.

"Pope Francis in Fratelli Tutti defines fraternity as a basic instance and founding gesture of recognition – of all persons of all ages, cultures, religions," Capeloa Gil said. "If we look at the enormous conflict and challenges our world faces, the root cause is a lack of recognition, and the right to have rights as Hannah Arendt has mentioned in the past. When we think of an economic model that widens the gap between affluent and western societies – where the income does not recognize the dignity of a person – we see a lack of recognition."

Capeloa Gil said that creating a curriculum that fosters a culture of recognition - that the planet and every individual should be cared for - is how to build an "integral ecology of knowledge."

"It does not take away from being trained in a specific professional area or discipline. It requires rethinking the curriculum to open to other areas of knowledge," Capeloa Gil said. "In order to change the world and tackle problems like climate change, we need to speak in systemic terms, we need to overcome silos and bring the different disciples together."

Welcome Ceremony and Stations of The Cross with Pope Francis
The welcome ceremony with Pope Francis was both beautiful and chaotic. Every inch of grass and standing room was packed to the point where I got stuck in a crowd with young people from Spain. But while I was stuck, with barely any breathing room, people pushing me from all directions, and while the heat got even hotter, young people around me started chanting "Esta é a juventude do Papa," which translates to "This is the youth of the Pope." I saw Pope Francis pass us in his car and wave at all of us, and suddenly the stress and uncomfortable tightness was worth it. Afterwards, I was able to break away and walked through the crowds to the press pool where I saw the ceremony begin with a coordinated dance performance by Ensemble23, a group of 50 young people from 21 different nationalities, who performed at the central events of World Youth Day. The performance was followed by a flag ceremony where young people waved the flags of every country I could think of, and several prayers with Pope Francis.

Pope Francis delivered his opening address to youth. Three quotes stood out to me from his speech:
1) "In the Church, there is room for everybody. Everybody. There is room for all of us. This is what Jesus said very clearly."
2) "Never give up asking questions. Those who ask questions will feel restless; this is the best routine. Each one of us has our own questions, and with common dialogue, we keep receiving answers to these questions throughout life."
3) "These are the days we must remember we are loved. With the problems we have, the limitations we have, the will of being better, we are called as we are."

Flag Ceremony before the Stations of the Cross with Pope Francis

At the Stations of the Cross, there was a performance where Portuguese youth danced and several of them addressed the Pope directly with their experiences with the Catholic Church. One young girl said at her parish it felt like there was no room for mistakes, and another woman talked about struggling with the Catholic Church’s teachings on having children, abortion, and sexuality.

Pilgrims climbed trees to get a glimpse of Pope Francis as he passed by

Throughout all of World Youth Day, there were young people from all over the world that publicly shared their personal struggles with faith and Catholicism. On the first day of Pope Francis’ visit, he met with survivors of Catholic clergy sexual abuse in private. I was proud in these moments to be Catholic - seeing the diversity and universality of the Church. But I was even prouder to witness young people courageously voice their thoughts about the Church - and see our Pope listen and take steps to make the Catholic Church something more young people can be proud of.

Religious leaders at press conference discussing the importance of interreligious dialogue and meeting with Pope Francis

Pope Francis Meeting with Religious Leaders in Portugal and Meeting other Pilgrims
On August 4, Pope Francis met with local representatives from different religions, marking the first World Youth Day with specifically ecumenical and interreligious events. I interviewed Fr. Peter Stilwell, the Director of the Department of Ecumenical Relations and Inter-Religious Dialogue of the Patriarchate of Lisbon. Father Stilwell said that the Church is committed to interreligious dialogue and cooperation, especially with religious minorities in Portugal, where more than 80% of people say they are Catholic. "We should follow Pope Francis’s lead and build bridges. There is a richness in our diversity, which comes for God," Stilwell said.

Pilgrims from Malaysia

I felt privileged to encounter this diversity everywhere I walked in Portugal. I have never walked around at night by myself - or traveled alone - and felt so safe. Every person I met was kind and welcoming. People would walk up to me – and I could walk up to anybody - and make a friend. After the Stations of the Cross, I was walking by myself, and a girl approached me asking where I was from. She said was from Malaysia, showed me her large flag, and introduced me to her entire group.

Pilgrims lining the streets at World Youth Day

While I was at the press headquarters, I made friends with a Jesuit who invited me to one of the many concerts happening around Lisbon for World Youth Day. Encounters like this were common and happened everywhere. While in Portugal, I felt a genuine curiosity and hunger for connection. Even at night on the streets, I saw many kids in groups singing songs from their country. One night, there was a group of Italian kids holding up their flag, while chatting and singing "Bella Ciao" alongside me, and in front of us a group of Spanish kids were singing a Spanish song. When both groups saw each other, somehow they all decided at the same time it would be fun to run up and sing to each other. Shortly after, I heard them talking about football.

Day 5 and 6: Pilgrimage, Vigil, and Morning Mass
The last two days of World Youth Day were devoted to the final pilgrimage to Parque do Tejo, a park in Lisbon bringing together over one million pilgrims from around the world. The Seton Hall group departed from the school we had been sleeping at to walk several miles to our spot at Parque do Tejo, where we slept the night on the grass with the other pilgrims. Before the vigil, there were more performances from the Ensemble23 and Portuguese Christian singers. There were more testimonies from young people around the world. One young girl from Mozambique, who was 18 years old, made a testimony about surviving two terrorist attacks on her village, and how her family prayed constantly and never lost faith until they were safe. This was followed by a mass.

Pilgrims listening to Pope Francis' homily.

In his homily, Pope Francis asked young people to spread joy and be roots of joy for others. "You don't find joy in a closed library. We find it in dialogue with brothers and sisters." He said that we should always maintain hope when we have fallen down, and we should always pick up our friends when they have fallen down.

Pope Francis said the journey of life is about having the will to help others and yourself, and he asked the crowd if anyone liked soccer, followed by many cheers.

"What’s behind a goal? A lot of training. What’s behind success? A lot of training. In life people don't just do what they like, but everyone has their own vocation," Francis said. "We need to do what’s necessary to do that vocation. We need to get up and train ourselves for the journey." Pope Francis closed his homily with a reminder about the power of God.

"Nothing is free in life. You need to pay for everything. There’s only one thing that’s free: the love of Jesus. So this free love that we have from Jesus and with the desire to walk, let’s walk in hope. Let’s rediscover our roots. Do not be afraid."

The next morning, during Pope Francis’ closing mass, he said over and over again to young people to "be unafraid."

"Be fearless," Francis said. "Jesus himself is looking at you right now. He knows you. He knows the lives of each of you. He knows the heart of each one of you and he tells you here in Lisbon and on World Youth Day 'be not afraid.'"

Pope Francis made two big announcements for the Catholic Church in the next few years. He invited young people to celebrate the Jubilee of Youth in 2025, and he announced the location of the next World Youth Day: South Korea. The announcement was greeted by claps and cheers, especially from the Korean youth representatives, religious brothers and sisters, and priests who entered the center stage. This will be the second World Youth Day ever (out of 15) to be in Asia. The first World Youth Day in Asia was celebrated in Manilla, Philippines in 1995.

"From the western border of Europe, we will move to the Far East. It is a marvelous time of the Church's universality and the dream of unity to which you bear witness," Francis said.

After extending gratitude to everyone who made World Youth Day possible, Pope Francis asked the audience to pray for those who could not be at World Youth Day because of armed conflicts and wars.

Pilgrims at World Youth Day gather to watch the evening sunset

"Dear friends allow me, as an older person, to share with you a dream I carry with me. It is the dream of peace. The dream of young people praying for peace, living in peace, and building a peaceful future," Francis said. "As you return home, please continue to pray for peace. You are a sign of peace for the world, showing how different nationalities, languages, and histories can unite instead of divide. You are the hope of a different world. Thank you for this. Onward. Strive forward."

Categories: Faith and Service, Nation and World