Pope recalls World Youth Day

March 21, 2016

At the conclusion of his Palm Sunday Mass, Pope Francis delivered an Angelus address in which he recalled that World Youth Day will be celebrated in July in Kraków.

Every Palm Sunday since 1986, Palm World Youth Day has been commemorated on Palm Sunday in Rome, and thus Palm Sunday 2016 was the 31st World Youth Day.

Since 1987, there have also been a dozen major international World Youth Day gatherings, typically during July.

“Today, we celebrate the 31st World Youth Day, which will culminate at the end of July in the great world meeting in Krakow,” Pope Francis said to the crowds in St. Peter's Squre. “The theme is ‘Blessed Are the Merciful, for They Will Receive Mercy’ (Mt. 5:7).”

“I hope that many of you can come to Krakow, home to St. John Paul II, the founder of World Youth Days,” he continued. “To his intercession, we entrust the final months of preparation for this pilgrimage, in the context of the Holy Year of Mercy, will be the Jubilee of the Young People at the level of the Universal Church.”

 

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Further information:

• Palm Sunday celebration - 2016.03.20 (YouTube Vatican)
• Celebrazione della Domenica delle Palme e della Passione del Signore, 20.03.2016 (Holy See Press Office)
• Contemplate the humility of Christ crucified, Pope preaches on Palm Sunday (CWN, 3/21)