By NICOLE WINFIELD, BARRY HATTON and PIETRO DE CRISTOFARO (Related Press)
LISBON, Portugal (AP) — An estimated 1.5 million younger folks stuffed a subject within the Portuguese capital Lisbon on Saturday for Pope Francis’ World Youth Day vigil, braving scorching warmth to safe a spot for the night prayer and to camp out in a single day for his last farewell Mass on Sunday morning.
Francis made solely temporary remarks earlier than them, nevertheless, and ditched his ready speech for the fourth time in two days. As an alternative, the 86-year-old pontiff delivered a vigorous, 10-minute off-the-cuff chat in his native Spanish about journeying collectively and serving to each other. “No concern, thanks, ciao!” he mentioned on the finish earlier than aides pushed him in his wheelchair to the aspect of the stage.
Temperatures had soared to 38 Celsius (95 Fahrenheit) on Saturday in Lisbon and had been forecast to high 40 C (104 F) on Sunday. The warmth compelled pilgrims to shelter below umbrellas and makeshift shades of plastic canvas sheets tied between trash bins within the in any other case uncovered subject on the sting of the River Tagus.
Crews blew misters on the pilgrims to attempt to cool them down as they made their method into the venue on the peak of the day’s warmth, many flying their nationwide flags. They shaped lengthy traces to fill water bottles from what organizers mentioned had been greater than 400 taps across the subject.
Smoke from a spate of wildfires that broke out round Portugal throughout a weekend spike in temperatures forged a haze over the sky as they arrived on foot from throughout the town for one of many liturgical highlights of the Catholic youth pageant. Citing native organizers, the Vatican mentioned an estimated 1.5 million folks had been readily available.
Lan Younger Modesta Cheong, a pilgrim from South Korea, mentioned the warmth was unhealthy however her group made use of the trash bins to create shade.
“At first we weren’t so snug with it as a result of is soiled and it possibly smelly however at a sure level it grew to become our tent, it’s sort of a miracle and for me it’s a bit the spirit of World Youth Day,” she mentioned. “We began utilizing a ineffective soiled factor to assist us and use it to keep away from the warmth and all these difficulties.”
Francis presided over the night vigil after spending the morning on the Catholic shrine in Fatima.
There, he ditched his ready speech and a prayer for peace. The prayer had been anticipated to be a spotlight of Francis’ go to to Fatima, given the shrine’s century-old affiliation with exhortations of peace and conversion in Russia and the continued struggle in Ukraine.
Francis as an alternative “prayed silently for peace, with ache,” whereas meditating for a protracted interval earlier than a statue of the Virgin Mary, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni mentioned. And the Vatican later posted the prayer on the platform X, previously often called Twitter.
An estimated 200,000 turned out for Francis’ go to to Fatima, packing the central esplanade lengthy earlier than the red-tinted moon set and the solar rose. Close by wildfires turned the sky smoky black and despatched ash snowing down on the group.
“We’re right here with nice pleasure,” mentioned Maria Florido, a 24-year-old Spaniard who additionally noticed Francis in Lisbon. “We awoke very early to return right here and see the pope … and we’re right here with nice enthusiasm.”
The Fatima story dates again to 1917, when in line with custom, Portuguese siblings Francisco and Jacinta Marto and their cousin Lucia mentioned the Virgin Mary appeared to them six occasions and confided to them three secrets and techniques. The primary two described an apocalyptic picture of hell, foretold the top of World Struggle I and the beginning of World Struggle II, and portended the rise and fall of Soviet communism.
In 2000, the Vatican disclosed the long-awaited third secret, describing it as foretelling the Might 13, 1981, assassination try towards St. John Paul II in St. Peter’s Sq., which fell on the anniversary of the unique imaginative and prescient.
In line with later writings by Lucia, who grew to become a nun and died in 2005, Russia could be transformed and peace would reign if the pope and all of the bishops of the world consecrated Russia to the “Immaculate Coronary heart of Mary.” Lucia later claimed that John Paul fulfilled that prophecy throughout a 1984 Mass, although he by no means specified Russia within the prayer.
Vatican Media had mentioned earlier than the journey that Francis would pray for peace in Ukraine and the world whereas in Fatima. It appeared logical, given Francis had already consecrated each Russia and Ukraine to Mary in a prayer for peace following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, primarily fulfilling Sr. Lucia’s exhortation.
Within the prayer posted on the platform X by the @Pontifex account however not learn aloud, Francis didn’t identify both nation however consecrated the church and world, “particularly these international locations at struggle,” to Mary. “Open paths the place evidently none exist,” he wrote. “Loosen the tangles of self-centeredness and the snares of energy.”
Fatima Bishop Jose Ornelas made a prayer for Ukraine specific in his remarks. “We affiliate ourselves to Your Holiness’ prayer for peace, for which this sanctuary is profoundly recognized, considering specifically of the struggle in Ukraine and so many different conflicts on this planet,” he mentioned.
In explaining the adjustments, Vatican spokesman Bruni mentioned Francis “at all times addresses firstly the folks he meets, as a shepherd, and speaks accordingly.” Francis usually deviates from his ready remarks, much more when talking in his native Spanish. Bruni denied the adjustments had every other severe cause, together with together with his eyesight.
Francis has been hospitalized twice this yr, together with in June when he spent 9 days within the hospital recovering from stomach surgical procedure to restore a hernia and take away scar tissue on his gut. Saturday was maybe probably the most grueling day of his five-day go to to Portugal, given the round-trip helicopter trip to Fatima and a deliberate prayer vigil that didn’t start till his ordinary bedtime in Rome.
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