WASHINGTON – Many will make sacrifices to attend the upcoming World Youth Day in Panama in late January, but few compare to the challenges facing young Catholics in nearby Nicaragua as the country deals with political and economic upheaval, some of it involving violent clashes with government forces that have plagued the Central American nation since last year.

Youth issues took centre stage in the Catholic Church this year, and it’s very likely they will stay there in the new year.

Alicia Escobar was 10 years old when Pope St. John Paul II came to Toronto in 2002 for World Youth Day. She was too young to participate but remembers the excitement, and now she’s looking forward to experiencing that for herself.

Despite declining health, Pope John Paul II made good on his promise on July 23, 1984 by stepping off a plane in Toronto to attend World Youth Day celebrations. The Register covered every angle of the massive event, including the Pope’s arrival at Pearson airport, as Christl Dabu reported in the paper’s special World Youth Day 2002 edition:

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PANAMA CITY, Panama – A Catholic film ministry has opened a contest for the 2019 World Youth Day to encourage young cinematographers to create short movies promoting truth, beauty, and goodness.

As the Vatican prepares for an important Synod of Bishops on youth, an American organization has released a study that says young people who reject the Church typically fall into one of three categories: the injured, the drifters or the dissenters.

World Youth Day is still 11 months away, but Canadians have already had a taste of what to expect on the pilgrimage to Panama.

VATICAN CITY – Preparations for World Youth Day 2018 and the dangers of gender theory on marriage and the family were among the major themes that bishops from Panama discussed with Pope Francis.

PANAMA CITY – A logo depicting symbols for Mary, Panama and the Panama Canal was selected as the winning design to promote World Youth Day 2019.

VATICAN CITY – Young men and women can live a true experience of the church by joining together and reconnecting with the past, Pope Francis told Catholic young people.

World Youth Day is not an isolated event, said newly appointed WYD national coordinator Isabel Correa. Rather, the international event is one opportunity among many for the Church to celebrate with young people.

The Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy is over, but the call to mercy lives on.

Fr. Thomas Rosica is stepping down as national coordinator of the World Youth Day delegations.

VATICAN CITY – With the next global celebration of World Youth Day scheduled for Jan. 22-27, 2019, Cardinal Kevin J. Farrell knows many young Catholics in North America and Europe may find it a challenge to attend.

VATICAN CITY – Archbishop José Domingo Ulloa Mendieta of Panama officially announced the dates of the next World Youth Day on Friday (Jan. 20), which is set to take place in January, rather than July as is usual, due to the weather.