Lisbon - “Today you are going to walk with Jesus,” Pope Francis said at the beginning of the Via Crucis, or Way of the Cross, the culminating event of this Friday during the celebration of World Youth Day. The Holy Father led thousands of young pilgrims in an emotional and spiritually charged Via Crucis, reflecting on Christ’s journey of compassion, healing, and sacrifice.

“When He was among us, Jesus walked, healing the sick, caring for the poor, doing justice… He walked, preaching, teaching us,”, said Pope Francis in his heartfelt address, urged the young crowd to remember how Jesus walked among the people.

But, he said, “the way that is most engraved in our hearts is the way of Calvary, the Way of the Cross. And today you are going with prayer – we [are going in prayer], me too – with prayer, you are going to renew the Way of the Cross.” The Holy Father thus emphasized the significance of the Way of the Cross, as it remains deeply etched in their hearts, symbolizing Jesus' selfless sacrifice for humanity.

'The Word became flesh'
"The Way of Jesus is God coming out of Himself, coming out of Himself to walk among us," Pope Francis reiterated, reciting the profound words from St. John's Gospel, "The Word became flesh and walked among us." He encouraged the youth to find solace in the fact that Jesus “weeps with us, because He accompanies us in the darkness that leads to weeping.” He also invited them to share their sorrows with Jesus, in the silence of their hearts.

Throughout the Way of the Cross, the atmosphere was filled with emotion. As the stage symbolizing the mountain was elevated station by station, the young dancers held the cross high until it reached the summit, signifying the resurrection.

Finally, with a second moment of silence, he called on the young people once again to reflect on their own suffering, anxiety, and miseries, as well as “the desire for the soul to smile again.” And he concluded with words of consolation, focusing once again on Jesus, Who “walks toward the Cross, dies on the Cross, so that our soul may smile” once again.

Via Crucis
According to WYD organizers, “the purpose of the Way of the Cross goes far beyond merely recalling the suffering that Christ endured. This type of prayer… proposes that we contemplate and allow ourselves to be infected by the dimension of this totally generous Love, so self-giving as to give his own life for the lives of others.”

The themes for this WYD’s Via Crucis, proposed by young people themselves, dealt with the “wounds and weaknesses present in the lives of today’s young people,” including poverty, solitude, intolerance, destruction of creation, and dependency.

Reflecting on the impact of the event, Maria Santos, a young participant from Spain, shared, "This experience has brought us closer to Jesus and each other. We felt His presence, His love, and His call to love others unconditionally."

As the young people dispersed into the streets of Lisbon, the celebrations continued, with a profound sense of camaraderie and a shared mission to spread love, joy, and hope throughout the world.

Indeed, as the sun set on this unforgettable day at World Youth Day in Lisbon, the words of the Gospel echoed in the hearts of the youth, "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16).

For the young pilgrims, this day will be a milestone in their spiritual journey, a day when they walked with Jesus, found solace in His love, and embraced the call to be the hands and feet of compassion and mercy in a world that longs for healing and hope.