Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options

Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims from across the globe descended on the Spanish capital on Aug. 15 with an array of colorful T-shirts, bloodshot eyes and a unified spirit of excitement about World Youth Day. Sona Mpofu of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, and 21 other pilgrims from southern Africa were exhausted by their journey but thrilled about being at World Youth Day. “When you come here, you feel at home,” said Mpofu, 27. “You don’t need to explain yourself. You are who you are. We understand each other.” Said Fungai Mawada, 20: “It’s been an overwhelming experience when you see that everyone shares the same faith, despite color, race and upbringing and culture. We all have that one thing in common. To get here, it’s like coming home to a bigger family.” For most of the group from Zimbabwe, it was not only their first World Youth Day, but their first time coming to Europe and even their first time boarding an airplane or leaving their country.

Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.

The latest from america

Pope Francis greets Professor Joseph Stiglitz at the "Debt Crisis in the Global South" meeting at the Vatican in June 2024 (Vatican Media)
An interview on economics and Catholic social teaching with Joseph E. Stiglitz, a Nobel Prize winning economist and a professor at Columbia University.
Kevin ClarkeApril 03, 2025
Lesson one: I had to buy more stamps.
Valerie SchultzApril 03, 2025
Celebrating the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea should give new energy to evangelization efforts, a new document from the International Theological Commission says.
In this episode of “Inside the Vatican,” host Colleen Dulle and veteran Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell walk us through the pontiff’s recovery, including “slight improvements” in his speech.
Inside the VaticanApril 03, 2025