Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

World

Pope and pop rock Catholic youth party

-

Saints dropping disco moves and nuns belting their hearts out rocked the final night of a Catholic youth extravaganza headlined by Pope Francis in Poland on Saturday.

A grinning Francis was cheered on by over one million pilgrims from around the world as he arrived and walked through a special Holy Door with six youngsters he then insisted hitch a lift with him in his pope-mobile.

He used his prayer to urge "dull kids" to swap their sofas and video games for walking boots so life does not pass them by, and got everyone to hold hands, forming a human chain across the vast plain near Krakow.

Youngsters got up and danced as Italy's famous singing nun Sister Cristina rocked a hymn and performers acted out a scene in which Poland's Saint Faustina feels her calling during a night out dancing.

"We came from the other side of the world to hear the pope's message," said Christina Criseina, 30, from Puerto Rico, who said she took four flights to get to the World Youth Day celebrations.

Security was heavy following a series of jihadist attacks in Europe and snipers could be seen near the altar while helicopters flew overhead. Organisers put the number of people attending the gathering at around 1.6 million.

From above, the grasslands resembled a multi-coloured mosaic, with thousands of flags fluttering in the breeze.

"Participating in World Youth Day is like an addiction. I went to the last ones in Rio and Madrid. It's extraordinary," said 23-year-old Colombian Alejandro Giron.

He said he knew someone who had worked as a street vendor selling empanadas (stuffed pastries) at night in order to raise the money for the trip to Poland.

Thousands of pilgrims light candles as they take part in a night vigil held by Pope Francis at Campu...
Thousands of pilgrims light candles as they take part in a night vigil held by Pope Francis at Campus Misericordiae on July 30, 2016 in Brzegi as part of the World Youth Days
Wojtek Radwanski, AFP

As the sun set, families sitting in front of their tents listened to the stories of three pilgrims from Syria, Paraguay and Poland before candles were lit and held aloft, forming a carpet of light as far as the eye could see.

Francis, 79, said being constantly glued to screens -- where wars and violence around the world become just another story on the evening news -- numbed youngsters to the suffering of others.

"Our response to a world at war has a name: fraternity," he said, urging the youngsters of today to fight xenophobia and "teach us how to... experience multiculturalism not as a threat, but an opportunity".

"We're here to tell the world that Iraqi Christians aren't all dead," said pilgrim Mirna, 17, referring to the plight of Christians living in areas of Iraq threatened by the Islamic State group.

"We're alive and the Poles have made us feel very welcome," she said.

Brazilian Bishop Pedro Luiz Stringhini told AFP "Francis's WYD message, of war and peace, is for everyone".

Saints dropping disco moves and nuns belting their hearts out rocked the final night of a Catholic youth extravaganza headlined by Pope Francis in Poland on Saturday.

A grinning Francis was cheered on by over one million pilgrims from around the world as he arrived and walked through a special Holy Door with six youngsters he then insisted hitch a lift with him in his pope-mobile.

He used his prayer to urge “dull kids” to swap their sofas and video games for walking boots so life does not pass them by, and got everyone to hold hands, forming a human chain across the vast plain near Krakow.

Youngsters got up and danced as Italy’s famous singing nun Sister Cristina rocked a hymn and performers acted out a scene in which Poland’s Saint Faustina feels her calling during a night out dancing.

“We came from the other side of the world to hear the pope’s message,” said Christina Criseina, 30, from Puerto Rico, who said she took four flights to get to the World Youth Day celebrations.

Security was heavy following a series of jihadist attacks in Europe and snipers could be seen near the altar while helicopters flew overhead. Organisers put the number of people attending the gathering at around 1.6 million.

From above, the grasslands resembled a multi-coloured mosaic, with thousands of flags fluttering in the breeze.

“Participating in World Youth Day is like an addiction. I went to the last ones in Rio and Madrid. It’s extraordinary,” said 23-year-old Colombian Alejandro Giron.

He said he knew someone who had worked as a street vendor selling empanadas (stuffed pastries) at night in order to raise the money for the trip to Poland.

Thousands of pilgrims light candles as they take part in a night vigil held by Pope Francis at Campu...

Thousands of pilgrims light candles as they take part in a night vigil held by Pope Francis at Campus Misericordiae on July 30, 2016 in Brzegi as part of the World Youth Days
Wojtek Radwanski, AFP

As the sun set, families sitting in front of their tents listened to the stories of three pilgrims from Syria, Paraguay and Poland before candles were lit and held aloft, forming a carpet of light as far as the eye could see.

Francis, 79, said being constantly glued to screens — where wars and violence around the world become just another story on the evening news — numbed youngsters to the suffering of others.

“Our response to a world at war has a name: fraternity,” he said, urging the youngsters of today to fight xenophobia and “teach us how to… experience multiculturalism not as a threat, but an opportunity”.

“We’re here to tell the world that Iraqi Christians aren’t all dead,” said pilgrim Mirna, 17, referring to the plight of Christians living in areas of Iraq threatened by the Islamic State group.

“We’re alive and the Poles have made us feel very welcome,” she said.

Brazilian Bishop Pedro Luiz Stringhini told AFP “Francis’s WYD message, of war and peace, is for everyone”.

AFP
Written By

With 2,400 staff representing 100 different nationalities, AFP covers the world as a leading global news agency. AFP provides fast, comprehensive and verified coverage of the issues affecting our daily lives.

You may also like:

World

Calling for urgent action is the international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)

World

Immigration is a symptom of a much deeper worldwide problem.

Business

Saudi Aramco President & CEO Amin Nasser speaks during the CERAWeek oil summit in Houston, Texas - Copyright AFP Mark FelixPointing to the still...

Business

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal infers that some workers might be falling out of the job market altogether.