The coordinator of the Angolan delegation for World Youth Days (WYD) 2023 acknowledged this Monday the “risk of flight” of young people who leave for Lisbon, urging them “not to go on this adventure” because “the European dream is no longer the same”.
“What we are doing is conveying the real situation in the country where we are going, the European dream is no longer what it was in the 90s, 2000s,” National Director of Youth Ministries of the Bishops’ Conference of Angola and São Paulo. said Lusa today to Tomé (CEAST), Armando Pio Alberto.
The Catholic priest claims that “he who sees the face does not see the heart” and that the organization “cannot identify these explicit desires (to escape) because many of them are secrets,” he stressed, acknowledging that there is some risk.
In addition to the internal mechanisms to minimize this possibility, the coordinator of the Angolan caravan, which should include about 520 young pilgrims, presented them with the “real situation” in which Europe now finds itself.
Europe “has gone through many mutations, and therefore we say this to young people, who, first of all, in our time, the war in Ukraine has also made life in Europe more expensive, unemployment is a reality,” he stressed.
“And you can’t live in Europe without a job, minimum wage conditions, so it’s good not to take risks, because there will be more suffering later on, that’s the message we’re delivering to make people aware of the reality.” , he stressed.
Armando Pio Alberto said that there were other mechanisms of action that he did not specify, stressing that the coordination of the Angolan caravan had to be carried out internally: “We seek to minimize (the risk of flight)”.
“We hear so much out there, so according to what we hear, we are adjusting to see if we can minimize it,” he said.
At least 1,518 Angolans living in Angola and in the diaspora have already registered for WYD Lisbon 2023, and 518 pilgrims are expected to travel from Luanda for this meeting with Pope Francis.
According to the priest, the Angolan caravan, which will be led by the Bishop of Cabinda and CEAST representative Belmiro Chissengeti, will leave for Lisbon on July 25 and 26 this month before the departure mass.
WYD Lisbon 2023 takes place from August 1st to 6th, with the main events taking place in Lisbon, in the Eduardo VII Park, in the Belem district and in the Tagus Park (north of the Parque des Nations and on land owned by the Lisbon Councils and Loures).
Author: Portuguese
Source: CM Jornal
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