One month before World Youth Day (WYD), the 100 hectares of the Tejo Trancao park between Lisbon and Loures are in their final form, and all that remains is to install the stage altar and install the bathrooms. finished.
As Lusa found out on the spot, earthworks have already been completed by both the municipality of Lisbon and Loures, which will allow the movement of pilgrims from all over the world in August and the creation of places where there will be a sanitary infrastructure. Installed., water, electricity and internet.
On the Lisbon side, where all the sites (each is equivalent to a football field) already resemble a green meadow, the result of regular watering, the construction of a stage altar and the placement of sanitary facilities are progressing well. , and multimedia.
The bicycle bridge operated by EMEL, the Lisbon Mobility and Parking Company, which connects the two banks of the Trancao River and the municipalities of Lisbon and Loures, has already been completed, as has the installation of water points.
For “security reasons”, a barrier was also installed to prevent direct access to the Tagus River.
As for the stage altar, which had to be redesigned and resized, Lisbon City Council expects it to be completed by mid-July after criticizing the planned investment.
Speaking to Lusa, Lisbon City Council Vice President Filipe Anacoreta Correia (CDS-PP) stressed the fact that the work is progressing “at a very good pace” and “keeping to all deadlines”.
“The preparations for the meeting are going very well. Everything that depended on us is going really at a very good pace. In some cases, we were even ahead of the calendar,” the mayor stated.
When asked by Lusa that there were no shadow points in the fence, the vice-president of the Lisbon Chamber explained that this was incompatible with the good visibility of the stage for pilgrims.
“World Youth Day has always been held in August. […]“If there are shadows, then there is no visibility,” he reasoned.
As an alternative, the mayor suggested that participants drink water and wear hats or, “in some cases”, umbrellas, as long as it does not jeopardize safety.
In terms of garbage, the Vice President of the Lisbon City Council estimated that during the event, the city would see “an increase in waste production of around 30-50%”, assuring that the municipality would “do everything to respond” to this. this is an increase.
“This is the area [resíduos] that we recognize that more can be done and that we want to do more in the city. On World Youth Day, we will be fully equipped with these competencies and capabilities. We are mobilizing teams. We will have about 300 more workers here who will be hired outside the Chamber. That is, we are doing everything in our power,” he stressed.
On the north coast of Trancao, on the Loures side, work began on 75 hectares of fencing earlier this month and is also “almost done” according to City Council Deputy Mayor Sonia Paixao (PS), with 40 lighting poles and 4,200 bathrooms yet to be completed. planned for this space.
“We are already at the final stage of preparations for this grand event, meeting the predetermined deadlines. The polygons have already been built, everything is marked. The seed is growing. At the moment, those that are in the area of responsibility of the project team are already being installed. Very soon we will actually complete 100% of the work,” he foresaw.
In the case of the lighting towers, Sonia Paixao explained that they should only be turned on “very close to the date of the event for safety and wear and tear reasons.”
The mayor also assured that “articulation work” is underway with all parish councils and municipalities in order to prepare the initiative and minimize restrictions.
“There was work to bring all the parishes closer to the municipalities. We will receive about 19,000 pilgrims in Lures, the whole week of the journey and another day before and a couple of days after,” he predicted.
Sonia Paixao also mentioned the importance of making the mobility plan public, which the mayor said is due on July 15.
“We hope that this will be accompanied by a good information and communication campaign so that we can all effectively provide useful information to our citizens,” he stressed.
Lisbon has been chosen by Pope Francis to host the next WYD, considered the largest event of the Catholic Church, to be held from 1 to 6 August and is expected to be attended by around 1.5 million people.
Pope Francis was the first to register for JMJLisboa2023 on October 23, 2022 at the Vatican after the Angelus celebration. This gesture marked the opening of registration for the World Youth Meeting with the Pope.
WYD was 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.
The first edition took place in 1986 in Rome, having already passed through Buenos Aires (1987), Santiago de Compostela (1989), Czestochowa (1991), Denver (1993), Manila (1995), Paris (1997), Rome ( 2000), Toronto (2002), Cologne (2005), Sydney (2008), Madrid (2011), Rio de Janeiro (2013), Krakow (2016) and Panama (2019).
Author: Portuguese
Source: CM Jornal
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