The World Youth Day Foundation says the infrastructure “should take into account the scale of the meeting.”

The World Youth Day Foundation said this Wednesday that the entire infrastructure for the event “should take into account the size of the congregation,” which should accommodate one million pilgrims, and pledged to disclose the costs of the event.

“All associated infrastructures – and to date, Tejo Park is the confirmed venue for the main events (vigilance and final mass) – must take into account the size of the gathering. WDM [Jornada Mundial da Juventude] and the necessary scale to meet about a million pilgrims with the Pope, for which there is no infrastructure prepared in Lisbon,” the foundation said in a response sent to Lusa.

The Lisbon City Council (CML) directly awarded the construction of the altar stage to the WYD for 4.24 million euros, leading to complaints of “lack of transparency” from the opposition of executive Carlos Moedas and a request to make a Chega for the president of the CML to go to parliament to explain the cost of the event that will bring Pope Francis to Portugal in August.

According to information posted on the portal of the Public Procurement Base, the construction of the altar stage “was awarded 4.24 million euros (plus VAT)”, adding to this cost “1.06 million euros for indirect coverage of funds”.

“The WYD Foundation is committed to disclosing throughout the project the costs and investments associated with this unprecedented event for our country, for which it is responsible,” the foundation adds in a note.

On Wednesday, Carlos Moedas said he knew the WYD altar stage would be very expensive to build, indicating that it would be built to the church’s specifications.

In a note sent this Wednesday, the WYF Foundation mentions that “it has been developing a plan” for the event “with all parties involved in the organization”, that is, with the government and municipalities of Lisbon, Loures, Cascais and Oeiras. , “in close cooperation and cooperation from the very beginning”.

And while he considers “the turnout uncertain,” he mentions the 400,000 pilgrims already registered, which gives “some prospect that this will be an event of unprecedented proportions in Portugal.”

“In this context, the work being done for infrastructure projects has looked at event turnout scenarios, as well as the technical requirements needed to ensure venues are viable, namely in terms of safety, accessibility and sustainability,” the foundation defends.

According to the organization, it is technical and safety issues that justify the size of the altar stage, which has caused controversy.

“Given that traditionally the largest number of pilgrims come to the final Mass, the area of ​​​​the altar of Tejo Park will be five thousand square meters, and it will be able to accommodate two thousand people, namely bishops, clergy, choir, orchestra and technical and language team. was built so that all pilgrims can see it, almost three stories high, with two lifts to support people with disabilities and a central staircase, and with a roof that implies a strong and safe structure,” he says. note.

Last Thursday, CML approved a medium-term and long-term loan of up to 15.3 million euros to finance investments under the WYD.

World Youth Day is the largest meeting of young Catholics from around the world with the Pope, which takes place every two to three years, from July to August.

Considered the biggest event of the Catholic Church, World Youth Day will take place this year in Lisbon from 1 to 6 August and is expected to be attended by around 1.5 million people.

The main ceremonies of the day take place in the Tagus Park, north of Parque das Nacoins, on the banks of the Tagus River, in the municipalities of Lisbon and Loures.

The days were born at the initiative of Pope John Paul II after the success of the meeting organized in 1985 in Rome as part of the International Year of Youth.