"We are going to WYD in Lisbon because Peter, the successor of Peter, is convoking it. And when Peter convenes, we all want to go to this meeting of young Catholics from all over the world. What we do is, above all, to welcome the Pope's invitation to come together to celebrate the joy of following Jesus, the joy of faith," Amorós affirms.
This young priest, a native of Madrid, carries out his pastoral work in Uruguay. From there, crossing the pond, they will meet with hundreds of thousands of other young people "to revitalize and renew our faith, our Christian life". He adds that "it is a great opportunity to place ourselves at God's disposal and together with all the young people of the world, to see how great, how beautiful, how universal the Catholic Church is, and that this will also help us to give a boost to our Christian life, and to fill us with enthusiasm, with that 'parresia', as Pope Francis says, in announcing the Gospel".
Lisbon is the fourth World Youth Day that Ignacio Amorós will attend. He was already there in 2000 with St. John Paul II at Tor Vergata, "which was impressive. I was 14 years old, and it was the first of all; then I went to the WYD in Cologne in 2005 with Benedict XVI; to the one in Madrid, in 2011, I am from Madrid besides; and this is the fourth WYD, with great desire and great enthusiasm, as we have always gone".
"I am going to WYD because God always gives us surprises, and he has something to give us at every WYD, to all young people and to each young person in particular, and that is why I want to go to this WYD, to let myself be surprised by God," he adds.
As for the preparation, the priest reveals that they have had "a journey in the diocese, with various meetings and retreats, usually at the end of the week, and we have followed the catechesis proposed by Pope Francis and the organization of WYD.
When asked what the Church and the Pope expect, Ignacio Amorós is clear: "That young people encounter Jesus Christ. That above all. Besides, I believe that the Pope wants us young people to make a mess". He adds that "he has said it constantly, first of all at WYD in Rio de Janeiro. Make a mess. And with that energy that young people have, to be able to communicate the Gospel. Here in the diocese we have had several missions, in complicated and difficult places, and the energy, the joy, the enthusiasm of the young people is contagious.
