The history
According to many, it is the most beautiful invention of Pope John Paul II. In 1984, the Pope decided to organize a gathering on Palm Sunday, in Rome, to celebrate the Youth Jubilee of the Holy Year of Redemption 1983-1984. Sixty thousand pilgrims were expected, however 250 thousand young people from different countries around the world attended the event.
The experience was so meaningful for the entire Church that the Holy Father decided to repeat the celebration the following year. In this gathering, 300 thousand young pilgrims were distributed among the churches of the city for moments of prayer and catechesis, followed by a full gathering in Saint Peter’s Square to participate in the celebration with the Pope. This same year, 1985, John Paul II wrote an Apostolic Exhortation to the young people of the whole world, and on 20 December, he announced the institution of World Youth Day.
Addressing the College of Cardinals and the Roman Curia, the Pope explained the creation of WYD as follows: «All young people must feel accompanied by the Church: that is why the whole Church, in union with the Successor of Peter, feels more committed, at a worldwide level, to the youth of today, their concerns and requests, their openness and hopes, to respond to their aspirations, passing on the certainty that is Christ, the Truth that is Christ, the love that is Christ, through an appropriate development process».
