The Pilgrimage of the Symbols – Itinerary

The Pilgrim Cross and the Icon of Our Lady Salus Populi Romani, symbols of World Youth Day (WYD), were handed over to Portugal young people on November 22, 2020, Solemnity of Christ the King, in a celebration presided over by the Holy Father, in the Vatican Basilica.

The pilgrimage of the WYD Symbols in the context of WYD Lisbon 2023 began in Angola, where they spent 40 days, from July 8 to August 18, 2021, visiting 9 dioceses. They then traveled to Poland for a 10-day pilgrimage (August 21-31), visiting all the dioceses, with the Symbols covering about 7,500 km. They then went on pilgrimage through 40 dioceses in Spain, between September 5 and October 29, covering more than 14,000 km.

Between November 2021 and July 2023, the WYD symbols pilgrimaged through the 21 dioceses of Portugal, thus announcing WYD Lisbon 2023. More than 40,000 km were traveled, through mountains and plains, from the inland regions to the coast; they made boat crossings, train connections, climbed the most emblematic shrines in the Portuguese dioceses and were present in historic places, for Portugal and its people!

Throughout the 21 dioceses, the Pilgrim Cross and the Icon of Our Lady were transported in firefighters' vehicles, boats, specially created floats, sailed on a Navy ship, flew on Portuguese Air Force planes, and, above all, were carried by thousands of young people!

The WYD Symbols visited shopping centers, churches, prisons, hospitals, nursing homes, public and private schools, associations, community centers, training centers... There were many moments of prayer, processions, Stations of the Cross, Rosary, Eucharistic celebrations, and moments of adoration.

For 21 months, the symbols were touched by thousands of people... And they touched many more!

WYD Symbols Itinerary in Portugal