Asia

The largest Catholic youth gathering in Asia draws pilgrims from across the region Cardinal Tagle addresses the gathering A n estimated three million young Catholics gathered in Manila for a four-day pilgrimage culminating in an outdoor Mass celebrated by the papal legate, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle . The event drew pilgrims from South Korea, Indonesia, Vietnam, India, and as far as Papua New Guinea — the largest regional Catholic youth gathering in Asia’s recorded history. The pilgrimage unfolded across four days of catechetical sessions, adoration, the sacrament of reconciliation, and cultural celebration. Over two thousand confessors heard confessions continuously for forty-eight hours, and organizers report that lines stretched for several city blocks at peak times on the third day. Organizers described the gathering as a sign of hope for the Church in Asia, where Catholicism is growing in some nations even as it faces institutional pressure in others. Pope Francis sent a video message calling the youth of Asia the future of the universal Church and urging them not to be afraid to take their faith into the public square. The young people of Asia are not the Church of tomorrow. They are the Church of today. Security officials praised the orderly conduct of the pilgrimage, which despite its scale proceeded without serious incident. Local parishes and schools provided more than fifteen thousand volunteers to assist with logistics, translation, pastoral care, and the distribution of food and water across the sprawling outdoor venue. The bishops’ conference has announced that the next regional youth pilgrimage will be held in Jakarta in three years’ time, marking the first time the event will be hosted outside the Philippines. Indonesian Catholic leaders say they are already planning and have begun fundraising to accommodate what they hope will be an even larger gathering.