At the end of Mass for Christ the King on November 22, 2020, Pope Francis had some important reflections on World Youth Day (WYD).
First, he greeted youth from Panama and Portugal, present to transfer the symbols of WYD from the last venue to the next, Lisbon in 2023. Second, he announced a change in how WYD will be observed at the diocesan level.
«And as we prepare for the next intercontinental edition of WYD, I would also like to renew its celebration in the local Churches,» the Holy Father said. «Thirty-five years after the establishment of WYD, after listening to various opinions and consulting the Dicastery for the Laity, the Family and Life, which is responsible for youth ministry, I have decided, beginning next year, to transfer the diocesan celebration of WYD from Palm Sunday to Christ the King Sunday.
«The center of the celebration remains the Mystery of Jesus Christ the Redeemer of Man, as Saint John Paul II, the initiator and patron of WYD, always emphasized.»
