LISBON – In his first official event for World Youth Day in Lisbon, Pope Francis warned young people against the illusions of the virtual world and urged young people to stay rooted in reality, always being connected to Christ.
Speaking to hundreds of thousands of youths gathered in Lisbon’s Eduardo VII Park for the opening ceremony of World Youth Day (WYD) on Thursday evening, Francis said the crowd’s loud cheers energised him and allowed him to share in their “infectious joy.”
He said each of them had been called by God, saying: “At the beginning of the story of our lives, before any talents we may have, before any shadows or wounds we might bear within us, we are called. Called because we are loved.
