Pope Francis arrives at the Campus Misericordiae in Brzegi near Krakow on July 31, 2016 at the end of the World Youth Day.
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Archdiocese of Cebu has opened the registration for joining the Cebu delegation for the World Youth Day in Lisbon, Portugal on August 1 to 6, 2023.
The archdiocese launched the 500 days of community preparation for the World Youth Day on March 18, 2022, to mark the over-a-year-long preparation for the international Catholic event.
Fr. Andrei Mantanilla, the Youth Director for the archdiocese, said that the archdiocese would be holding an orientation for interested applicants on April 2, 2022, at the Archbishop’s Residence in Cebu City.
Mantanilla said there would be no limit to the number of people Cebu would be sending to Lisbon, as long as they could afford to do so.
The two-week trip to Portugal will cost a participant an estimated P250,000 to cover the cost of airfare, VISA, and other documentary requirements, registration to the World Youth Day, accommodations, and a short trip to Spain.
The Commission on Youth is encouraging participants to find sponsors to raise such a large amount. The Archdiocese will be holding fundraising for the World Youth Day delegates, but there is no guarantee that it will be able to raise funds for more than a few delegates.
In order to apply to be part of the Cebu delegate to Portugal, an individual must acquire a recommendation letter from their parish or organization.
The rest of the requirements will be given on April 2 for those who are interested to apply, but it is recommended that they already process or acquire a passport.
Mantanilla notes that the most challenging part of the application is getting their VISAs to Portugal approved.
“Kung interested ta or committed ta, makapasar ra gyod tang tanan. Kining atong application is also part sa process nato sa VISA. The Archdiocese of Cebu will respect the decision of the embassy,” said Mantanilla.
(If we are interested or committed, we can all pass. The application is also part of the process in VISA. The Archdiocese of Cebu will respect the decision of the embassy.)
For those who are interested to join, below is the timeline for the application and the itinerary of preparations leading to the World Youth Day:
Mantanilla said the World Youth Day would be the gathering of young people from all over the world with the Pope.
It is also a pilgrimage, a celebration of youth, an expression of the universal Church, and an intense moment of evangelization for the youth world.
Although its Catholic identity is clearly evident, the event opens its doors to everyone, no matter how close to or distant from the Church they are.
The last time the Philippines hosted World Youth Day was in 1995.
Archbishop Jose Palma urged the youth to join the historic event if they could, especially now that the pandemic had slowed down.
The World Youth Day is a significant event for Catholics all over the globe to gather and grow in the spirit of Christ.
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