The president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, has offered her collaboration to Portugal, specifically to the mayor of the city of Lisbon, Carlos Coinsfor the organization of the World Youth Day (WYD) with the Pope Francisco, which will take place next August in the Portuguese capital.
Díaz Ayuso has offered Moedas to have the people who were in charge of organizing this same event in Madrid in 2011, during the papacy of the recently deceased Pope Benedict XVI, to help in the organization and has recalled that WYD multiplied by seven the investment in the Community of Madrid.
“It was a real blessing to have WYD in Madrid, they were all beneficial,” said the Madrid leader, who was not governing the region at the time but who has expressed her desire to be able to organize an event of these characteristics as she is going to do now Lisboawhere he has moved this Thursday to sign a memorandum of understanding with the mayor.
«Madrid became during those days of 2011 the world capital of freedom, plurality, values… the image that remains is one of joy, positivism, openness. The cameras of more than 100 countries are on your city, you become the epicenter of the world”, he launched to the Portuguese, who he encouraged to welcome this event with enthusiasm despite the difficulties inherent in the logistics of an event in which Lisbon expects to attract more than a million visitors, as Moedas explained to OKDIARIO. In addition, the mayor has invited the Madrid president to join the celebration next August.
At the moment there are already 400,000 young people who have registered for WYD this year, as Pope Francis celebrated a few days ago. «We are getting closer, although there are still several months to go, to the Youth Day, and there are already 400,000 young people registered. It strikes me and I am glad that so many young people come because they need to participate, “said the pontiff.
“Some say that ‘I go for tourism’. But the young man who comes is because, deep down, he is thirsty to participate, to share, to recount his experience and receive the experience of the other. They thirst for horizons », he added.
