The essence of the World Youth Day (WYD)
The young people who have been getting ready for the WYD for some time are excited to meet Pope Francis. In these first few days in Lisbon (Portugal), they took part in the “Rise Up” meetings.
As the time of writing, the XXXVIII World Youth Day has just reached its halfway point. The first 4, very intense days, have permeated the life of over half a million young people who welcomed Pope Francis on 3rd August 2023 in the heart of Lisbon (Portugal). They gathered at Parque Eduardo VII, which was renamed “Hill of Encounter”, as a sign of the profound significance of this WYD, which underlines: relationship with God, with oneself and then with others, to build a peaceful, sustainable and fraternal world.
With the cry of “God loves everyone”, in a Church where there is room for everyone, Francis officially inaugurated the Portuguese World Youth Day which the media is amply covering every day.
However, what risks being overlooked is the important work of updating that the Church, in the most universal sense of the term, has carried out, so that this World Day could be a place where young people “find themselves” in their questions, in their conscious or unconscious search for God to have him as a partner in their lives; in the creation of spaces for sharing, inspiration and mutual listening. This process has involved young people, their teachers, priests and bishops, and many ecclesial realities.
“Rise Up” Meetings: spaces to think, share and be inspired
Undoubtedly one of the biggest novelties of this WYD are the “Rise Up” meetings, the new model of catechesis which invites the young people to reflect on the major themes addressed during the pontificate of Pope Francis: integral ecology, social friendship and universal brotherhood, mercy.
There are 270 meetings held in 30 languages which are all linked to the general theme of the WYD: “”Mary arose and went with haste” (Lk 1:39).
The Focolare Movement has been involved in the Rise Up meetings, offering 3 half-day appointments for English-speaking pilgrims, attended by an average of 5,000 young people a day. Eunice, a member of the organizing team told us, “I immediately felt responsible. The theme of this WYD inspires me a lot: I too feel driven to get up and go quickly, like Mary; I feel a strong motivation to give more, to overcome limits, tiredness and difficulties, as she did when she went to visit Elisabeth. She didn’t stop, but she loved”. Margaret Karram and Jesús Morán, President and Co-President of the Focolare, shared the stage with Card. Patrick O’Malley from Boston (USA), Archbishop Anthony Fisher from Sydney (Australia) and Bishop Robert Barron from Winona- Rochester in Minnesota (USA).
Teenagers at the WYD in Lisbon
Experiencing God’s love and taking it wherever you are or feel called to be, was the thread running through the meetings enlivened by music, prayer and a lot of sharing. Pete, from the United States, at his first WYD, said, “I felt that after a year and a half of ‘isolation’, after Covid, something in me had changed. I decided to get involved and come with my diocese. I wanted to get out of my comfort zone, meet young people from other countries, see how they deal with problems. I still have many questions, I have found some answers here”.
For the young people from Slovakia it was a big decision to come and open up to people of other cultures and ways of doing things. They are greatly looking forward to what the Pope will say in the coming days. “We are sure that his words will remain in our hearts forever and will help us in the different situations of life”.
This meeting one another, recognizing each other as brothers and sisters is perhaps the most characteristic feature of this event. This is why personal stories are central to the Rise Up meetings.
Real life at the Centre of it all
For example, Lucas, who lives in the Brazilian Amazon. At the WYD in Panama he was captivated by the person of Jesus. When he went home, with about twenty young people he got involved in a project to help the indigenous communities of his country. They spent a fortnight with a team of doctors, nurses and psychologists who bring aid, treatment and support to many people who live far from treatment centres. Lucas said, “It was an incredible experience: giving myself from morning to night, without stopping. The Amazon Project has made me grow a lot as a person. The first result of all this is me: I have changed, I am no longer the same”.
Sofia, from Argentina, talked about her existential journey of searching for meaning. At one point she heard about Blessed Chiara Luce Badano whose yes to God, even in her pain, gave her the strength to dedicate her life to God, following the spirituality of the Focolare Movement.
And we could go on and on because we heard many testimonies and also the responses of the bishops and leaders to the questions of the young people.
Pat, aged 19, from Sydney, said, “I came to this WYD with a group of friends and this is important to me because I believe that we need others in order to be able to make a difference in the world and even to make personal decisions. Loneliness is a challenge for many young people of my age and I want to do something about it by starting with loving my friends. I understood here that this is the right path”.
These young people have many questions and also fears, but there’s more: they want to open up, to learn; they come from very different backgrounds and experiences, yet they are all here to meet Pope Francis, to discover God in their lives and to meet friends with whom to share this discovery. This is the essence of the WYD in Lisbon.
Stefania Tanesini
To read the full speeches:
Margaret Karram, Catechesis of 2nd August 2023, Rise up meeting, WYD Lisbon (Portugal)
Jesús Morán, Catechesis of 2nd August 2023, Rise up meeting, WYD Lisbon (Portugal)
Margaret Karram, Catechesis of 3rd August 2023, Rise up meeting, WYD Lisbon (Portugal)
Jesús Morán, Catechesis of 3rd August 2023, Rise up meeting, WYD Lisbon (Portugal)
Father João Paulo Vaz: I have participated in no less than six WYDs in my life (Paris, Rome, Toronto, Cologne, Sydney and Madrid), some of them as head of youth pastoral work in the diocese. Each of them has marked my journey as a man, a Christian and a priest. They have been very intense experiences of faith and communion, and some things in particular really left their mark. One of them has always been the theme tune. When I heard we could participate in the competition for the Lisbon 2023 theme tune, I was very happy, both because of my personal experience and as a composer. I had decided to submit the lyrics but, at a certain point, I realised I had forgotten to register in time because you had to declare your intention to participate before submitting the song. When I realised this I was very sad, but God never leaves me alone. A group of participants who HAD signed up on time and only had a musical score ready asked me anyway if they could use my words and that’s how I entered the competition. Shortly afterwards, I learned with great joy that my song had been chosen. I was overjoyed because I really felt it was God’s answer to my wish. Ivan: What message did you want to convey through the song? Father João Paulo Vaz: First of all, the message I thought of addressing to each young person is “Christ is always with you, He never abandons you and with Him you will be able to love much more”. That is why, with Him, “my voice rises higher and everyone will hear it”, as the song explains, because you are no longer afraid. The whole text takes this direction and Mary, the main protagonist of this WYD, in the simplicity and humility of her figure, represents all these things: She whose voice rises first because she brings Christ with her; the first evangeliser who, with her ‘yes’ and on her way to Elizabeth, also shows us how to bring Him to others. Ivan: So many young people from all over the world are expected in Lisbon. How does it feel to think that they will all sing this song together? Father João Paulo Vaz: It’s really important to say that as soon as the song was chosen as the WYD anthem, it no longer belonged to us, it was no longer ours. It was no longer my words or Pedro Ferreira’s music. It is the theme song of WYD Lisbon 2023. I will sing it with the others: this will be the greatest joy. Lourdes: If you could sum up the theme tune in one or two words, what would they be? 
Fr. José has experienced the anticipation and enthusiasm of several WYDs first-hand. Like many other people, he immediately felt the call to get involved in organizing this Event which was taking place in his own “backyard”, by motivating young people and welcoming those who would come from various parts of the world: “This last year has been full of meetings. A lot of activities were organized to help cover the expenses of those who had greater economic challenges to get here. As a ‘little builder’ of this WYD, together with many others, I encouraged some families to open their doors to young people from other countries for the ‘Days in the Dioceses’. In our area, we will welcome about 3,000 young people, mostly French. Then we will leave for Lisbon and I will lend a hand for the sacrament of Reconciliation, during the event.” It has been a concrete experience that shows how serving others generated countless fruits in the various communities. As Fr. José said, “For example, the discovery of the beauty of working together. I think that today’s young people need to discover that the secret of happiness lies in true love, and as Pope Francis says, in the experience of “going out of oneself” and “being with and for others.” This is true unity. ” And it is in this “going out” that we find the image of the Virgin Mary, ready to “get up and go with haste”, as the motto of this WYD announces, on the way to visit Elizabeth. Ana and José Maria Raposo told us that this is an “invitation to encounter the living Jesus in the family, at work, in social and political life”. They are from the parish of Nossa Senhora da Conceição dos Olivais Sul in Lisbon and are members of the Volunteers of God of the Focolare Movement. Ana and José have been married for 45 years, have five children and four grandchildren and are one of the many Portuguese families who will host the young people who will take part in the WYD in their own homes. 
They told us, “For young people, like Mary, to live their vocation, it is necessary to believe in them and let them lead, without forgetting the importance of inter-generationality. It is necessary to believe that the world today is already changed if hearts are changed, if the mind is free, if one leaves one’s comfort zone, if one looks around and sees Jesus in everyone; we have to believe that a united world is possible”. QQ An experience that looks at this fragile time, looks at the other and is strengthened thanks also to the concrete witness of those who, believing in love, want to put it at the service in the “welcome” that, as Ana and José say, “means to be a family for those who arrive. It was spontaneous for us to immediately join in welcoming the young pilgrims who will participate in the WYD. We have always welcomed people who needed help because they were passing through or traveling. The last few months gave us an opportunity to review things and reorganize the spaces so that the young people who arrive really feel at home.” World Youth Day continues to prove to be, even today, a great event of the Church that, around the Pope and young people from all over the world, becomes “Community”. And to be, as Father José Cardoso de Almeida stated, “a workshop of the Kingdom of God and the image of that universal fraternity that derives from the Gospel”. 
It seems to me that Chiara Lubich’s charism of unity is always topical. Regarding synodality, Pope Francis is insisting that we rediscover how we are the people of God on a journey, where we all play a lead role. Synod means ‘walking together’. He wants a Church where everyone gives their best as an integral part of the people of God, the body of Christ. Here, I think Chiara Lubich’s charism of unity can bring a lot in this sense, with her spirituality of communion, the spirituality of unity. On the other hand, today there are so many conflicts, wars, massive polarisation everywhere – in the political, moral, social spheres – and perhaps like never before we are witnessing almost irreconcilable contrasts. I believe that here too the charism of unity can contribute a great deal with the dialogue it weaves. So today the charism of unity must be modernised, rediscover its true identity, going back to the essentials, to the founding core of the charism. This modernisation requires implementing two moments, not in a chronological sense, but in a profound sense. On the one hand is listening to the signs of the times, the questions of the world, of contemporary society. On the other, going deep, fishing out all those resources that the charism has, some of which have not even been expressed. I really like this concept of expressing the unexpressed that is within us. This is how identity is updated in a dynamic fidelity. Together with the process of purifying our memory that we are going through in this post-foundational phase, I think we are ready to take this step. Modernising a charism is achieved with everyone’s contribution and a change of mentality and mindset. Besides invoking the help of the Holy Spirit, what can we do to implement this? Without a doubt, the help of the Holy Spirit is fundamental because we are in the context of a work of God. But to modernise the charism requires intelligence – not in the academic sense, but more in the sense of wisdom. It takes talent and skill to listen to the cry of humanity. What is said in the document of the General Assembly of 2021 is important: today the demands of humanity that we must listen to are the cries of Jesus Forsaken. So in addition to the Holy Spirit, we need the intelligence of the charism and the wisdom that comes from life. This is not a desk exercise, an academic exercise. One can grasp the cry of the forsaken Jesus when one is in contact with the suffering of our contemporaries. What is the ‘theology of the ideal of unity’? Why is it important for fidelity to the charism? Chiara Lubich herself said that theology would be important for the future of the Focolare Movement and the charism. This means deepening the charism of unity in the light of revelation, from where it sprang, and of theological research. It is an exercise in the intelligence of the charism that is fundamental, otherwise it is not incarnated and above all it is not universalised. Without a theology of the ideal, the charism remains within the Movement. With a theology of the ideal of unity, the charism can also go outside, as well as finding a solid foundation. The theology of the Ideal of unity helps to understand it well so that it can be passed on to future generations. Life and witness always go first, but this work is also decisive. The theology of the ideal of unity prevents possible deviations. The original kerygma, encapsulated in the Gospels, needed the arduous work of the Church Fathers, great theologians, to be saved in its integrity. Doesn’t modernisation risk causing the charism to lose its identity? Quite the contrary. It is precisely not modernising that makes the charism lose its identity, because the identity of a charism is always dynamic and creative. It is always about being the same without ever being the same. This is what I have tried to express. Being static makes a charism lose its identity because it makes it lose its connection with reality. For me this is very clear: constant updating is needed for the charism to maintain its identity. And Chiara did this throughout her life. 
In his initial greeting to the participants, Card. Mario Grech, Secretary General of the Synod, highlighted how the synodal journey is entering a new phase: it is called to become a generative dynamic and not simply one of many events. We cannot listen to the Holy Spirit without listening to the holy people of God in that “reciprocity” that constitutes it as the “Body of Christ”. In this communal bond, the particular methodology of conversation in the Spirit, well described on the occasion of the presentation of the Instrumentum laboris, takes shape. Hence the need, referred to several times by Card. Grech, to better articulate the principle of restitution. In other words, this means that the unity of the synodal process is guaranteed by the fact that it returns to where it started, to the local Churches, and this is an important moment of the “recognition” of what has matured in listening to what the Spirit is saying to the Church today. The synodal journey seems to stand, therefore, as a significant moment in ecclesial life, capable of stimulating and activating the creative impetus and evangelical proclamation that comes from the rediscovery of the relationship with God that innervates the relationship between believers, and also as a sign for a cultural context in which it houses a silent cry of fraternity in the search for the common good. If in Prof. Severino Dianich’s report “The problems of synodality between ecclesiology and canon law” the recovery of the Pauline ecclesiology of the being-body of Christ and the enhancement of the dynamic co-essentiality of hierarchical and charismatic gifts emerged, for Prof. Alphonse Borras, this turning point requires a canonical clarification, which outlines a flexible procedural practice, capable of accompanying decision-making and participation processes through the various bodies already envisaged (episcopal council, presbytery, diocesan and parish pastoral programmes …). Cardinal Francesco Coccopalmerio, former president of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, seemed to agree with this line in his speech, “Ecclesial Synodality: is a rapid transition from the consultative to the deliberative conceivable?”. In his opinion it is possible to find in canon law a clear definition of synodality, understood as “communion of clergy and faithful in carrying out the activity of recognizing what is the good of the Church and in the ability to decide how to implement such an identified good”. At the end of the seminar, many participants expressed the wish to see the speeches of the seminar published. The CEG is working to do this by September as a further contribution to the upcoming Synod.