Rome: Pope Francis' World Youth Day vigil drew an estimated 1.5 million young people to a pitch in Lisbon, the capital of Portugal, on Saturday. They endured sweltering heat to find a spot for the evening prayer and to set up camp for his final Mass on Sunday morning.
But before them, Francis spoke only briefly, forgoing his prepared speech for the fourth time in two days. Instead, the 86-year-old pontiff gave a lively, 10-minute spontaneous speech about travelling together and supporting one another in his native Spanish. At the conclusion, he said, "No fear, thanks, ciao!" before assistants pushed him in his wheelchair to the side of the stage.
In Lisbon, the mercury soared to 38 C (95 F) on Saturday, and it was expected to reach 40 C (104 F) on Sunday. In the otherwise open field on the edge of the River Tagus, the heat forced pilgrims to seek cover under umbrellas and makeshift shelters made of plastic canvas sheets tied between trash cans.
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During the hottest part of the day, crews blew misters at the pilgrims as they entered the area, many of whom were carrying flags from their home countries. Long lines of people formed to fill water bottles at the field's more than 400 faucets, according to the organisers.
They arrived on foot from all over the city for one of the liturgical highlights of the Catholic youth festival, but the sky was obscured by smoke from a string of wildfires that broke out around Portugal during a weekend heatwave. The Vatican reported that an estimated 1.5 million people attended, citing local organisers.
The heat was bad, but Lan Young Modesta Cheong, a pilgrim from South Korea, said her group used the trash cans to make shade. It was dirty and possibly smelly at first, but eventually it became our tent. It's kind of a miracle, and to me, it captures a little bit of the spirit of World Youth Day, she said. "We began using a pointless, filthy thing to support us and use it to escape the heat and all of these challenges." After spending the morning at the Catholic shrine in Fatima, Francis led the evening vigil.
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He threw away his prepared remarks there and said a peace prayer. Given the shrine's century-old connection to calls for peace and conversion in Russia and the ongoing war in Ukraine, the prayer was anticipated to be a highlight of Francis' trip to Fatima.
Instead, according to Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni, Francis "prayed silently for peace, with pain," while spending a significant amount of time contemplating a statue of the Virgin Mary. Additionally, the prayer was later shared by the Vatican on platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
Approximately 200,000 people attended Francis' visit to Fatima, filling the main esplanade long before the sun rose and the red-tinted moon set. Wildfires burning nearby caused the sky to turn smoky black and to become snow-covered with ash.
Maria Florido, a 24-year-old Spaniard who also saw Francis in Lisbon, said, "We are here with great joy." We arrived here with great enthusiasm after rising very early to see the pope.
The Fatima legend dates back to 1917, when, in accordance with legend, three Marto relatives—Portuguese siblings Francisco, Jacinta, and Lucia—said the Virgin Mary appeared to them six times and revealed three secrets. The first two foretold the end of World War I and the beginning of World War II, as well as the rise and fall of Soviet communism. They also painted an apocalyptic picture of hell.
Later writings by Lucia, who became a nun and passed away in 2005, claimed that if the pope and all of the world's bishops dedicated Russia to the "Immaculate Heart of Mary," it would be converted and peace would reign. Though John Paul never mentioned Russia in the prayer, Lucia later claimed that he did so during a Mass in 1984. Francis would pray for peace in Ukraine and the entire world while in Fatima, according to Vatican Media before the trip. Given that Francis had already dedicated both Russia and Ukraine to Mary in a prayer for peace in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, effectively carrying out Sr. Lucia's advice, it made sense.
Francis did not mention either nation in the prayer that was posted on platform X by the @Pontifex account but was not read aloud. Instead, he dedicated Mary to the church and the entire world, "especially those countries at war." Open doors where it seems none are there, he advised. "Loosen the snares of power and the tangles of self-centeredness."
Bishop Jose Ornelas of Fatima specifically prayed for Ukraine during his remarks. The sanctuary is profoundly associated with Your Holiness' prayer for peace, and he added, "We associate ourselves to Your Holiness' prayer for peace, thinking in particular of the war in Ukraine and so many other conflicts in the world."
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Pope Francis "always addresses first and foremost the people he meets, as a shepherd, and speaks accordingly," Vatican spokesman Bruni said in describing the changes. When speaking in his native Spanish, Francis strays even more from his prepared remarks. Bruni disputed the possibility that the changes were caused by anything else, including his vision.
Francis has spent nine days in the hospital recovering from abdominal surgery to repair a hernia and remove scar tissue from his intestine in June, which was one of his two hospitalisations this year. Given the round-trip helicopter ride to Fatima and a scheduled prayer vigil that didn't start until after his normal bedtime in Rome on Saturday, it's possible that day was the most taxing of his five-day trip to Portugal.