The Angolan Catholic Church calls for “good faith” and urges young people to “avoid running away”.

The coordination of the Angolan delegation to the World Youth Day (WYD) in Lisbon in 2023 recognized this Friday the “escape opportunity” of many young people who leave for Lisbon, advising them to “act in good faith” and return to the country.

“As for the possibility of many young people fleeing, it is an accident, we have contributed, we have raised awareness, we have arranged visas based on the principle that everyone acted in good faith,” said Angolan Bishop Belmiro Chissengeti, coordinator of the Angolan caravan at WYD 2023.

According to the prelate speaking at the press conference, the “good faith” of the approximately 518 young people/pilgrims who leave Angola for Portugal makes the organization “hopeful” that they will return to the country after meeting with Pope Francis.

“But, [a fuga] in fact, it is a risk that is present in all these cases,” the Catholic bishop admitted, citing that the risk of flight had already disappeared when Angola had economic stability, but recently it remains obvious.

“And lately, each of us feels like a goodbye friend every week, and therefore this is an accident, but if someone remains, it is not because the organization has indicated this path,” Belmiro Kissengeti told reporters.

At least 1,518 young Angolans living in Angola and living in the diaspora are officially registered to participate in WYD Lisbon in 2023, with 518 participants expected to travel from Angola to Portugal.

Also, the chairman of the Episcopal Commission for Youth of the Pastoral Episcopal Conference of Angola and Sao Tome (CEAST) said that the Angolan caravan, divided into two delegations, will leave next week.

“We are ready to go, we will have two large delegations, the official CEAST delegation of 317 people and the delegation of the dioceses of Luanda and Lubango, consisting of 171 delegates,” he stressed.

A delegation from the Dioceses of Luanda and Lubango departs the following Monday after Mass scheduled for Sunday (July 23), followed by an official CEAST delegation.

Both Angolan delegations will conduct preliminary trips to the Portuguese dioceses of Leiria for the official CEAST delegation, and the other from the dioceses of Luanda and Lubango from Braga.

Answering a question about the accommodation conditions and logistics of the Angolan caravan, the Catholic Bishop said that young people are going on a journey as pilgrims and will stay in the facilities provided by the organization of the event.

“We will be in schools, colleges, government offices, and every pilgrim should take his own sleeping bag, and I believe that no one will starve to death,” he shot.

Belmiro Chissengeti, also a representative of CEAST, recalled that Angola has been participating in the WYD since 1989 and is the largest African delegation at the event, which it considers a space of faith and exchange of many cultures.

The days “are also a space where the catholicity and universality of the Catholic Church is known,” he stressed.

He also thanked the Angolan government for helping to sponsor the trip of several young people, the Angolan Ministry of Transport for making contacts with the TAAG carrier possible, the Migration and Foreigners Service for facilitating passports, the Portuguese Embassy in Angola and the Portuguese Consulates in Luanda and Benguela for “visa facilitation”.

The official delegation of the Angolan government to the WYD in Lisbon in 2023 will be led by the Secretary of State for Youth Affairs of Angola.

WYD Lisbon 2023 takes place from 1st to 6th August, with the main initiatives taking place in Lisbon, in the Eduardo VII Park, in the Belém area and in the Tejo Park (north of the Parque das Nasuens and on land owned by the councils of Lisbon and Loures).

DYAS // J

Lusa/The End