Almost 900 Cape Verdeans are registered to participate in World Youth Day (WYD), from August 1 to 6, in Lisbon, and 70% of them already have all the process completed, a diocesan source told media on Wednesday June 28.
“In the diocese of Santiago we have 743 pilgrims registered and some already have a visa number to travel to Portugal], so we are counting on everyone. In the diocese of Mindelo, we already have all the visas obtained, both for the island of Sal, São Vicente, only the decision of Boa Vista is still lacking and approximately 130 members, including priests, are registered. They have a delegation of almost 900 young people that are going to the Youth Day in Lisbon this year”, said in Praia, the diocesan assistant for Youth in the dioceses of Cape Verde, deacon José Manuel Borges.
According to José Manuel Borges, it is not yet possible to advance the exact number of people who will go to WYD, which can only be done after all visas have been issued by the Portuguese authorities: “At this moment we already have around 70% response in our hands and we are now waiting for the others. We have also started to buy the tickets, we are waiting for the others and this way we will buy the tickets and then organize and go there”.
The deacon also said that for WYD in Lisbon, there will be the pre-WYD, from July 26 to 31, and the post-WYD, from August 7 to 10, which will take place in the diocese of Leiria and in Lisbon, so the “expectation is great.”
“We are doing a spiritual preparation from here, in Cape Verde. On June 4th, we started to do the first activities in a more direct way, what we call the pilgrimage. The idea is to walk through various parishes with different activities, but above all with spiritual activities that help the pilgrims in a better way. The day will be a worldwide meeting of young people, with different cultures, different languages, different thoughts, but united in the same faith,” the deacon pointed out.