Lisbon (BLAZETRENDS).- Thousands of pilgrims from all over the world arrive in Portugal by land, sea and air a few days before the start of World Youth Day (WYD), a Catholic event that Lisbon and its metropolitan area will host from 1 to August 6 and will be headed by Pope Francis.
In large groups, in pairs or alone, the participants of the Portuguese WYDdecked out in rosaries, crosses, backpacks with the event’s logo or t-shirts with religious messages and images of the pontiff, they are easily recognizable throughout the country as they head to the capital.
The organization expects the presence of close to one million faithful, although the number of registered indicates lower levels of participation.
According to records, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Poland and the United States, in that order, are the countries that will contribute the most participants.
Lisbon airport, one of the main points of entry into the country, is a hive of activity this Saturday, with the constant arrival of groups of pilgrims who sing, await instructions from the coordinators or pray.
Beatriz Barros, a volunteer who works at one of the information posts that WYD has set up inside the airport, explains that the pilgrims who have arrived by plane these days are mostly from the United States, Canada, Latin America and Africa.
Increase in influx in recent days
“Today we already notice that there is a much greater influx of people, many more groups arriving. We have been here since Monday, we have been here all week, and it is noticeable every day that there are more and more people arriving ”, he affirmed in statements to BLAZETRENDS.
Among those who have just landed is the American Kevin Bohli, who has already organized group trips for young people in the six previous editions of WYD.
He explains to BLAZETRENDS that, on this occasion, he is coordinating a group of 130 people, who will stay in Portugal for 10 days and will also visit the sanctuary of Fátima, an epicenter of Catholic pilgrimage in the country located 130 kilometers north of Lisbon.
“We have divided into two flights and we have just landed and now we will get on buses. We are going to Fatima for three days for a retreat and then we will return to Lisbon to celebrate World Youth Day”, he explains.
In the central Lisbon square of Marqués de Pombal, where some of the main WYD activities will take place, walks Rocío Pérez, a Spaniard who arrived this Friday in the Portuguese capital as a volunteer with a friend, but who in just 24 hours has managed to join another group of Spaniards that exceeds ten.
“We have been getting to know people from the house in which we are sleeping and we have made friends along the way,” he clarifies.
Portugal prepares for the arrival of WYD pilgrims
Faced with the massive arrival of pilgrims, Portugal has prepared a strong security device with thousands of troops, visible in large cities, such as Lisbon, where the police presence has multiplied at the airport, ports, public roads and at visitor concentration points. .
In addition, the country has recovered documentary controls at the borders, in an “exceptional” way, between July 22 and August 7 and has prevented the entry of more than 90 people out of some 330,000 entries.
WYD will be chaired by Pope Francis, who is scheduled to arrive in Portugal on August 2, visit Fatima on the 5th and return to Rome on the 6th.
The entry Thousands of pilgrims arrive in Portugal to participate in the World Youth Day was first published in BLAZETRENDS Noticias.