MACAU (AsiaNews): About one hundred young people from Macau are among the thousands of pilgrims who travelled to Lisbon for World Youth Day 2023 [WYD]. The gathering of their peers from all over the world around Pope Francis took on a particular meaning for the young people of this autonomous region of China, due to the fact that until 1999 it was a Portuguese territory with a deep bond dating to the 16th century when it became the “door of evangelisation on the Chinese continent” as described by Pope St. John Paul II.
The diocesan news website, O Clarim, reported that the two main groups present at WYD, the Chinese-speaking diocesan youth ministry and the Portuguese-speaking parishes, are already in Portugal and stopped at the sanctuary of Fatima where they prayed for the intentions of the Catholics of Macau. Representing the Portuguese-speaking community of the diocese, in particular, three young people recited the Rosary in the Chapel of the Apparitions.
Devotion to Our Lady of Fatima is deeply rooted in Macau. The parish named after her also gives its name to one of its most populous neighbourhoods, in the northern part of the city.
“This stage in Fatima is very important for us,” Tammy Chio, the vice-director of the Diocesan Commission for Young People, told O Clarim on the eve of the trip.
“For most of these young people, this is their first visit to Portugal. Participating in the evening torchlight procession will allow them to feel an integral part of this moment of faith,” Chio added.
In addition to the two main groups in Lisbon, there were also smaller groups including the Neocatechumenal Way and Opus Dei, and some students of the Don Bosco College who participated together with the group from Hong Kong.
