This is not pity, but solidarity, an assurance that the Ukrainians are not alone in this difficult time for them,” stresses Father Leszek Kryża SChr, Director of the Team for Assistance to the Church in the East, in an interview with Family News Service. Thanks to e.g. a team established by the Polish Bishops’ Conference, 550 people from Ukraine, many of Polish origin, and 160 young people from almost all countries of the former USSR, were able to participate in the World Youth Day in Lisbon, which ended today.
fot. ks. Leszek Kryża / Facebook
Due to the ongoing war in Ukraine, young Ukrainians are a special nation among the representatives of the almost 200 nationalities attending World Youth Day in Portugal. It is a unique experience for them to be present in Lisbon.
According to Victoria from Boryslav, Ukraine, a participant of WYD, it was a meaningful experience for her to show up with the Ukrainian flag in Lisbon, and then people expressed a special solidarity towards her. „For her it was extraordinary that people who did not know her at all, who perhaps do not even fully know where Ukraine is geographically located, express sympathy and unite with this suffering Ukraine,” comments Fr. Leszek Kryża.
The most exceptional gesture of solidarity with Ukraine was made by Holy Father Francis. „The Pope apologised that there is so little he can do to bring peace to Ukraine. We all know that he is trying to do everything he can, but he feels that it is still not enough” – says Fr. Leszek Kryża. „For young Ukrainians, the meeting with the Holy Father was an extraordinary, intimate experience. The Pope assured them of further assistance,” added director of the Aid to the Church in the East Team.
Every gesture of solidarity with the young Ukrainians is highly emotional and helps them to return to their homeland with greater optimism. „They will return to Ukraine, and they will talk about how people assured them that they were with them and that they prayed for them. This is also a very valuable experience of the Church,” points out Fr. Leszek Kryża.
As the director of the Team for Assistance to the Church in the East underlines, most of the young WYD participants, including those from the East, see for the first time a „young, singing, dancing, and smiling Church”. „Thanks to this, they will not be ashamed of their faith; this will enable them to speak about it more boldly and with more courage” – assesses the priest and adds that, despite the hardships of the pilgrimage, everyone experiences the youth festival with joy, hope, and gratitude to those who host them.
According to Fr. Leszek Kryża, the young participants of WYD from the countries of the former USSR share two realities: faith and, in many cases, Polish roots. „They exchange their experiences from the countries they came from, and this is very precious. Many friendships are born here. I see young people exchanging addresses and phone numbers. I believe that these relationships will not be over, but after they return to their homes, they will continue to support one another and will stay in touch,” emphasises the priest.
Fr. Kryża has no doubt that World Youth Day is an „absolutely extraordinary, very important and necessary” time. He points out the importance of the event for the further life of the young participants. „Every World Youth Day bears fruit. Someone who has been here once will want to experience it again and will talk about it everywhere,” he stresses and adds, following Pope Francis, that „every young participant in the celebration of young people is sent, not necessarily to do spectacular things, but to the small ones, which are actually great gestures, great things.” Young people are encouraged to be apostles, not necessarily at the ends of the world, but where they are, where they live. It is important that they take concrete action, because „faith demands concrete engagement”, concludes Fr. Leszek Kryża.
World Youth Day in Lisbon takes place between 2 and 6 August, 2023. Young people welcomed the Pope to Lisbon on 3 August. The event brought together some 500,000 young people from all over the world. On Friday, 4 August, the Way of the Cross was presided over by the Holy Father. On Saturday, the Pope visited Fatima. Sunday, 6 August is the final day of WYD. Participants from nearly 200 countries are taking part in religious services and other events, including concerts and group meetings.