World Youth Day is an international event organized by the Catholic Church that invites youth from all around to the world to meet and celebrate together.
The program is organized every 2-3 years and is focused on meeting the Holy Father and praying together.
Its history extends back to Palm Sunday in 1984, when St. Pope John Paul II invited the youth to Rome to celebrate the end of the Extraordinary Holy Year of the Redemption. Later, the Pope invited all the young people of the world to a meeting and officially initiated the celebration of World Youth Days. Each meeting has its own hymn that is first sung in the language of the host country and then in an increasing number of languages.
The Holy Father always announces the venue for the upcoming event at the World Youth Day closing mass. The metropolis of a distant continent is usually followed by a European venue.
In 2023, the Portuguese capital of Lisbon will be host to the events, consisting of a pre-gathering and the main gathering, which will take place between July 26 and August 6. The pre-gathering, organized by the Portuguese dioceses and international associations of the faithful, lasts until July 31, and the main gathering is held from August 1 to 6. The target audience is people between the ages of 18 and 35. Participation for children under the age of 18 is possible only with a consent form written by their parents.
As the organizers want the youth who speak the same language or arrive from the same country to belong to the same group, the Hungarian Catholic Bishops’ Conference (MKPK) has created macro groups in the international registration system to comply with the request and the Vatican’s registration guidelines.
Young people can register via the MKPK Youth Committee. When registering, they can join an existing group or create a new group with other like-minded young people. Registration is also possible using the World Youth Day’s international website.