Organizers of the next World Youth Day in Panama has confirmed the official dates for one of the largest events in the Catholic world. The pope had first announced Panama as the hosting country at the closing mass of the Polish edition.
In a news conference after the announcement of Panama as being the next location was made, the country’s bishops said the decision is a reflection of his attention to the peripheries and voiced their hope to be a “bridge” for those who come from all continents.
The global event will be January 22-27, 2019 and is expected to attract hundreds of thousands of people to Panama. World Youth Day is typically held in July, but was switched to January to take advantage of Panama’s weather. This massive event in Panama will be historic and will attract the global attention.
World Youth Days are an itinerant youth festival first held under St. John Paul II, and since the mid-80s they’ve been taking place every two or three years. Pope Francis has participated in the last two: Krakow, Poland in 2016, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2013.
The organization is estimating that 350,000 travelers, 800 Bishops, and a likely 200 cardinals will participate in WYD Panama.
Comments are closed.