With less than seven months to go before World Youth Day (WYD) Lisbon 2023, Pope Francis has left a message for the 400,000 young people who have already begun their registration for WYD Lisbon 2023. "I am struck and happy that so many young people are coming because they need to participate," the Holy Father revealed in a video addressed to the youth.

Francis believes that "the young people who come is because, deep down, they feel the need to participate, to share, to tell their experience and to receive the experience of the other," stressing that all those who have already registered "are thirsty for a horizon."

Furthermore, Pope Francis wishes "that on this Journey [young people] may always learn to look to the horizon, to always look beyond." "Open your hearts to other cultures, to other boys, to other girls who are also coming to this Journey," Francis asked the young people.

Already 400,000 pilgrims have registered for WYD Lisbon 2023. However, Francis is still counting on the registration of many young people and hopes that "others can follow his example of registering".

Full message below:

If you have not yet registered, you can do so here.

You can check all the information about registration for World Youth Day Lisbon 2023 here.

It was on 23 October 2022 that Pope Francis signed up, during the recitation of the Angelus in St Peter's Square at the Vatican (Rome), for World Youth Day (WYD) Lisbon 2023, thus marking the opening of registration for the meeting. Pope Francis was thus the first pilgrim to register for the largest gathering of young people from around the world with the Pope, which will take place from August 1-6 in Lisbon under the theme "Mary got up and went in haste" - Lk 1:39.

More details about this moment here.