Moments before the first mass of World Youth Day (WYD) began, pilgrims from almost every country in the world formed a human spot that stretched from Eduardo VII Park to Marquês de Pombal.
In the front row, next to the stalls separating the pilgrims from the stage in Parque Eduardo VII, the flag of Portugal was the largest and tallest swaying in the wind.
But the first to move into the enclosure was from Guatemala, brought by a group of eight pilgrims, who had been guarding the place since 13:00.
After five hours of waiting, they stood out as the liveliest in the front row, alternating chants with slogans and celebrations whenever a camera approached.
Alongside were groups from El Salvador, Zimbabwe, Brazil, the Philippines, Malaysia and Angola, among flags from many other countries.
Under the intense sun, armed with panamas and wearing t-shirts of various colors, young people from various parts of the world responded to the calls of the stage, raising their hands in a demonstration of joy, whenever one of the artists asked them: “Lisbon, are you all happy?”.
On the side of the stage, thousands of priests and other clergy sat on the grass to attend the Mass presided over by Cardinal-Patriarch Manuel Clemente.
There was a lot of movement at the site, making it difficult for the volunteers who are responsible for keeping a corridor free for emergencies. The immensity of the people circulating meant that guidelines had to be given to restrict access from the sides of Parque Eduardo VII.
As the time for Mass approached, more and more groups of young people chanted “This is the Pope’s youth” in various languages, especially Spanish.
According to the organization’s estimate, more than 300,000 young people will attend the religious ceremony.