On the occasion of the 32nd World Youth Day, which this year is observed at the diocesan level, Pope Francis will preside over a Vigil of Prayer with young people of the Diocese of Rome and of other Dioceses of Lazio, at 5:00 pm on Saturday, April 8, in the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major, stated a Holy See press release.
It will be the Holy Father’s first meeting with young people, in preparation for the 15th General Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, fixed for October 2018 on the theme “Young People, Faith and Vocational Discernment,” and for the 34th World Youth Day, which will be held in Panama in 2019.
For this reason, the Vigil will reflect on the figure of the Beloved Disciple, chosen as evangelical “icon” of the Synod’s Preparatory Document, and of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who inspires the themes of the three forthcoming World Youth Days.
The initiative is promoted by the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops, in collaboration with the Dicastery for the Laity, the Family and Life, and with the Dioceses of Lazio.
