KRAKOW, Poland – In a giant circus tent on Piastowska Street, next to the Jagiellonian University's sports center, a rock band wound up its full-volume refrain against a dazzling background of lights and streamers.

VATICAN CITY – Fear nothing, break the chains that may bind you and bring hope to the world, Pope Francis told young people attending a special World Youth Day gathering in Cuba.

KRAKOW, Poland – The youthful face of God's mercy can change the hearts of people who have lost hope, Pope Francis said.

KRAKOW, Poland – Pope Francis held up the life of a young man who designed the World Youth Day graphics as a gift to the church.

VATICAN CITY – As Pope Francis was getting ready to head to Poland this week, he had this message for the hundreds of thousands of young pilgrims gathering there for World Youth Day.

KRAKOW, Poland – Poland's Catholic bishops spent 90 minutes meeting with Pope Francis, but the meeting was private so people could speak freely.

KRAKOW, Poland – Young people can show the world love through actions of caring and service to others in a world where even priests are not safe while celebrating Mass, said the president of Caritas Internationalis.

KRAKOW, Poland – Jesus did not stop talking about mercy even though he was nearly thrown from a cliff after his first public talk in a Nazareth synagogue, and the rest of his life can serve as an example for people of faith to follow, Boston Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley told an energized World Youth Day audience.

VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis is urging young people to have courage and enjoy life to the full, in a personal video message he sent to a Texas diocese before leaving for World Youth Day in Poland.

Cześć! Greetings from Kraków! My name is Vanessa, and I am one of the 40-odd pilgrims traveling with Jesuits Canada to World Youth Day 2016. It is not my first World Youth Day experience, but it has certainly been a very unique one so far. The spirituality of the Jesuits has been one that has resonated with me since I first learned about Ignatian contemplation, and I already had several friends traveling in the Jesuits Canada delegation, so it felt like a good fit. And thus far, I can only say that our group, made up of young adults from all over Canada, has been pretty awesome.

World Youth Day is tomorrow! Despite all the fun and awe-inspiring things that I’ve been fortunate to experience, this is why I am here. It’s not for The Catholic Register. It’s not for the chance to go to Europe on vacation. It’s for the chance to participate in the global Church.

All eyes are on Poland as the city of Krakow explodes into celebration for the 2016 International World Youth Day.

Walking through the Auschwitz-Birkeneau concentration camps was definitely a once in a lifetime experience.

More than two million young people from around the world are expected to descend on the city of Krakow for a week of spiritual formation as the Polish city hosts World Youth Day from July 26-31.

VATICAN CITY – When Pope Francis goes to Poland to meet with an expected two million young people from around the world, he's going with a firm idea of the dreams, fears and challenges so many of them face.