Pope Francis has dedicated his August prayer intention to World Youth Day, which begins in Lisbon, Portugal on 1st August 2023.

The Holy Father has invited young people to set aside fear and embark on a joyful journey to bear witness to Christ in the world.

Pope Francis invited the Church to pray for this intention in this month’s The Pope Video, which is entrusted to the entire Catholic Church through the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network.

The video was created in collaboration with the Lisbon 2023 WYD Foundation and the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, and is about young people and World Youth Day.

Pope Francis’ message emphasises his invitation to young people to quickly take the path of bearing joyful witness to the Gospel.

Full story by Deborah Castellano Lubov, Vatican News is available HERE