Argentine youth are excited about the Pope, says Maria Lopez, 23, from Our Lady of Guadeloupe parish in Toronto. Lopez was born in Argentina and stays in touch with the local culture by watching a lot of Argentine television.
“The Argentinian youth and even just the people in general in Argentina have been following him so much. And I think part of it is pride because they’re proud that he’s Argentinian. At the same time he brings that hope that a lot of people have lost,” said Lopez.
“I’m extremely happy… I started crying,” she said about the election of Pope Francis, adding that Argentines feel they can connect with the pontiff.
“We currently have 200,000 pilgrims already registered, but registrations go on until the last day of the event,” said Carol de Castro, press co-ordinator for the local organizing committee. She said the committee expects 800,000 Argentine pilgrims to have registered by the start of the event, which runs July 23-28.
By then, there will be more copies of the YouCat (youth catechism) in Brazil than pilgrims. Brazil’s dioceses and new Catholic movements are expected to receive a million additional copies of the YouCat, the new youth catechism published by the Roman Catholic Church. Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) has already funded the printing and distribution of 500,000 copies of the YouCat since last October.
“Young people are simply looking froward to it (WYD). They love (to) celebrate together. And YouCat goes down well. It helps many to get to know the faith, to understand it better or deepen it,” said José Correa, director of ACN Brazil in a press release.
The Pope’s first international trip will be to WYD, though the Vatican has not announced the exact dates he will attend.
Castro said that although registration is not required for most of the events planned for World Youth Day, it is recommended, because registered pilgrims will have access to free transportation to many of the events, get help in finding accommodations and will receive a pilgrim’s kit with important information about the event and the city. Pilgrims that opt for packages that include meals also receive a list of accredited restaurants.
Argentines make up the largest group of foreign nationals chosen to be volunteers during the six-day event, although volunteer registration had already closed when the name of the new Pope was announced in March. Approximately 15 per cent of the 60,000 volunteers chosen are from Pope Francis’ birth nation.
Organizers say they expect that, by July 23, more than one million beds will be made available for pilgrims in family homes, schools, recreational centres and churches. The pilgrims will be able to stay free of charge in these locations from July 21-31, said Vinicius Arouca, volunteer on the hosting committee.
For security, Brazil’s Ministry of Defense has made available 8,500 armed forces members. The ministry said these and an expected 4,000-5,000 police officers will patrol areas where pilgrims will visit. During the vigil July 27, the Brazilian air force will patrol Rio’s air space.
(With files from Catholic News Service)