REFLECTIONS ON WYD Pilgrims from 175 countries registered for the World Youth Day events, Archbishop Tempesta said. The majority were between the ages of 19 and 34. Fifty-five percent of registrants were women, and 45 percent were men. According to tourism estimates, pilgrims spent nearly 1.8 billion Brazilian reales – the local currency – during the event. Four million hosts were made for the various Masses, the archbishop continued, and the final Mass drew more than three million participants, including 664 bishops and 7,814 priests. Catechesis sessions took place at 264 locations throughout the city and in 25 languages. During the press conference, Archbishop Tempesta said that each time Pope Francis flew over the Christ the Redeemer statue, he prayed and gazed upon the monument with admiration. Recalling an encounter between a 9-year-old Brazilian boy who climbed up on Pope Francis’ vehicle to talk to him and embrace him, the archbishop said that the boy “demonstrated the affection of the entire Brazilian people.”
Posted on: Thu, 01 Aug 2013 19:31:13 +0000
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