[1/5] Cookies with Pope Francis images are seen in a bakery ahead of his apostolic journey to Portugal on the occasion of the XXXVII World Youth Day, in Lisbon, Portugal, July 26, 2023.
REUTERS/Pedro NunesLISBON, July 31 (Reuters) - Hundreds of thousands of young people from around the world have descended on Portugal to welcome Pope Francis when he arrives on Wednesday to close a jamboree dubbed "the Catholic Woodstock".
World Youth Day, an event devised by the late Pope John Paul to form young Catholics in their teens or early 20s, is held every two or three years in a different city.
PROBABLE MEETING WITH ABUSE VICTIMSThe group is planning to put up big outdoor signs to raise awareness about clergy sexual abuse.
Prime Minister Antonio Costa on Monday called it "the biggest international event" Portugal has ever hosted.
Persons:
Pope Francis, Pedro Nunes LISBON, Pope John Paul, Francis, Lisbon's Martim Moniz, Manuel Clemente, Matteo Bruni, Antonio Costa, Madonna, Philip Pullella, Angus MacSwan
Organizations:
REUTERS, Woodstock, Vatican, Lisbon's Parque Tejo, Thomson
Locations:
Portugal, Lisbon, Lisbon's, Fatima, Rome