The gathering is part of the Roman Catholic Church’s Holy Year of Jubilee, which began in December and runs until January next year under the motto “Pilgrims of Hope."
The Jubilee programme includes religious and social events in Rome and worldwide, drawing Catholics together in prayer, reconciliation and celebration.
By early July, more than 13,000 young people from Poland and the Polish diaspora had signed up to attend the gathering, according to Fr. Tomasz Koprianiuk, director of Poland’s World Youth Day Office.
Koprianiuk told reporters that over 12,000 pilgrims had registered from Poland, along with about 1,000 young people from Polish communities in countries including Germany, the United States and France.
The largest numbers are expected to come from southern and central Poland, he said.
Twenty-two Polish bishops, over 420 priests and 120 members of religious orders will accompany pilgrims throughout the weeklong gathering, Poland's PAP news agency reported.
The Youth Jubilee will officially begin on Tuesday with a mass at St. Peter’s Square organised by the Diocese of Rome. The event will conclude on August 3 with a final mass at Tor Vergata on the outskirts of Rome.
In the lead-up to the Rome gathering, eight dioceses near the Italian capital hosted young people, following the model of World Youth Day pre-events, according to church officials.
'Polish Rome'
During the Youth Jubilee, Polish participants will have access to a special cultural and spiritual hub called Polish Rome – Casa Polonia.
Koprianiuk described the Youth Jubilee as an important milestone on the road to the next World Youth Day in Seoul, South Korea, in 2027.
“For many young people, this will be a chance to experience the universality of the Church, to share their faith, learn how to build relationships, and shape their character,” he said. “That is often much more important than pastoral approaches that focus primarily on rules and prohibitions.”
In August 2023, more than 1.5 million people, among them Poland's First Lady Agata Kornhauser-Duda, attended the closing Mass of the Catholic Church's previous World Youth Day event in the Portuguese capital Lisbon, according to the Polish President’s Office.
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Source: PAP, vaticannews.va/vaticannews.va, sdmpolska.pl