Gathering and Listening
World Youth Days
Established by St. John Paul II in 1985, World Youth Days (WYDs) gather hundreds of thousands (and sometimes millions!) of young people from around the world for days of prayer, solidarity and celebration with the Vicar of Christ. Pope Francis continued the tradition of his predecessors by participating in four WYDs during his pontificate. Below are the number of participants for each:
World Youth Days
Established by St. John Paul II in 1985, World Youth Days (WYDs) gather hundreds of thousands (and sometimes millions!) of young people from around the world for days of prayer, solidarity and celebration with the Vicar of Christ. Pope Francis continued the tradition of his predecessors by participating in four WYDs during his pontificate. Below are the number of participants for each:
WYD by the numbers
- 2013: 3,700,000
- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- 2016: 3,000,000
- Kraków, Poland
- 2019: 700,000
- Panama City, Panama
- 2023: 1,500,000
- Lisbon, Portugal
“You are not here by accident. The Lord has called you, not only in these days, but from the very beginning of your days. He called you by name.”
– Pope Francis, Lisbon 2023
Synod on Synodality
In October 2021, Pope Francis convened the Synod on Synodality, a multiyear process in which he invited the Church to reflect on the task of “journeying together.” “It is precisely this path of synodality,” he said, “which God expects of the Church of the third millennium.” The synod’s theme, “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation and Mission,” guided discussions during the diocesan, continental and universal phases of the unprecedented global event.
Beginning at the diocesan level, all of the baptized were invited to participate in local listening sessions to consider the question: “What steps does the Spirit invite us to take in order to grow in our ‘journeying together’”? Results from these sessions were then discussed and synthesized during the continental phase.
The synod concluded in October 2024 with an assembly in Rome. Among the approximately 370 voting members were bishops and priests, consecrated men and women, and lay Catholics from around the world.
