"After these days of grace, we ask ourselves: what do we take with us as we return to the valley of everyday life?" Before the immense crowd - 1.5 million people - gathered at Tejo Park on Sunday, August 6, for the closing Mass of the World Youth Day (WYD), Pope Francis invited the young people to look beyond Lisbon, towards their everyday lives. How can they continue to nurture what they experienced during this Portuguese edition so that it does not remain just a beautiful parenthesis?
To define the WYD, Cardinal Gérald Cyprien Lacroix, the Archbishop of Quebec (Canada), speaks of an "injection of hope." During a week, the event appeared as a bubble outside of time, where everything is joy, smiles, prayer, and fraternity among nations.
But as the music and chants fade away with the departure of young Catholics from the Portuguese capital, the question of what comes after the WYD is already arising. Many young pilgrims interviewed by La Croix recount having experienced, often strikingly, the collective strength of the Church and its youth, especially when they come from countries where it is a minority. "I didn't think there were so many Catholics, especially with so much fervor," acknowledges Camille, 19, from Quebec. "I want to bring this passion back home."
On the other side of the Pacific, Xiu (who asked her name to be changed) from southern China will face a sensitive situation. The 30-year-old talks about her "difficulties" in a Catholic Church monitored by the communist regime. But she returns "transformed and strengthened" after a week with the gathered youth. "These WYD, which I didn't know about before, will help me through the trials. Now, we must share this experience to help those who share our faith in their daily lives."
Some young people arrived in Lisbon worried about the future of their Church or uncertain about their faith, but they are leaving with concrete ideas. Jayceelyn, 18, came from the Philippines with the Assumptionists, feeling "lost and alone" during the pandemic and often staying at home. The WYD had a powerful effect on her. "I felt supported. I regained strength and hope in youth to follow Christ. I feel ready to go out into the world." She now considers getting involved in education or working with young people.
Brady, a 20-year-old Mauritian, also arrived with many questions about his life. Marked by the ecumenism of the WYD, as relations between Christians in his country can sometimes be contentious, he wants a follow-up to this "new perspective."
The pope's appeals to the youth have also had an impact. During the vigil on Saturday, August 5, Francis asked the pilgrims, "those of you here, who have come to meet others, to find Christ’s message (...),will you keep all this for yourselves or will you share it with others?" While crossing the Atlantic to return to Honduras, Alexandra, 21, will meditate on the words of the pope that touched her. "Now I want to work for the Church and make it a better place, with more diverse people and not just composed of those who usually frequent it."
The challenge of what comes after the WYD is not new, but it is a challenge that each generation must continually face. Cardinal Lacroix smiles as he gives the image of marriage: "The wedding is beautiful, the joy, the meal, the party, but then comes real life." "In our secularized countries, young Catholics often feel isolated," he points out. At the WYD, gathered with a million or more others, they become aware that faith is not dead, that the Church is not dead. This gives them the courage to move forward." And the Archbishop of Quebec insists that they need to "make room" for them in Christian communities.
Many pilgrims have already been sensitized to the question of what comes after this global event. For example, in France, the WYD held in Paris in 1997 had a certain impact on the faith life and commitment of many young participants at that time.
So, will there be a "Lisbon generation" in 2023? Alex, 21, from Barcelona, could be one of its representatives. Waiting in an endless queue behind one of the trucks distributing food before the vigil, he is struck by "the devotion of the Portuguese to the Virgin Mary" and commits to reciting the rosary every day. The young Spaniard has also "heard the pope's call to include everyone in the Church" and wants to "live this advice and be more open to others."
For others, what comes after the WYD involves concrete commitment, like Pierre-Antoine, 17, a scout leader from Caen, France. He has set himself a goal within his reach: to talk more about his faith with his classmates, very few of whom are Catholic, "instead of hiding it and living it on my own." For Anne-Cécile, 31, from Brussels, Belgium, not to let the WYD be just a "flash in the pan," she wants to break out of isolation. "I realized that it was important to be able to share with others, to meditate on the Gospel of the day, to attend Mass on Sundays," says the young woman, who intends to inquire about the different opportunities when she returns home.
As a specialist in WYD, Charles Mercier, Professor of Contemporary History at the University of Bordeaux, affirms that "everyone has realized that it is very difficult to capitalize on the emotion, which does not necessarily provoke commitment." "World Youth Days do not reverse the trend of secularization," he says. "However, for a significant minority, this moment of collective fervor can change their lives. For other participants, even if it remains a parenthesis, it anchors a meaningful experience."
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