Several tens of thousands of pilgrims participated in the opening mass of the World Youth Day in Lisbon, Euronews has reported.
The Catholic youth festival began on Tuesday evening, but the main event will be the visit of Pope Francis. The event concludes with a Sunday mass officiated by the pontiff himself.
Lisbon is expecting to host over a million pilgrims, which is twice the population of the capital city.
The event, which could become the largest in Portugal, promises an economic boost for the country. Everyone is trying to benefit, from hotels and restaurants to souvenir shops and even bakeries.
Fernando Santos, a baker at Balcao do Marques pastry shop, said, "We have already made cookies with cartoon characters for children, such as Spider-Man or Batman. We joked with the head pastry chef and thought, why not do it with the Pope's face? We used portraits of the Pope, many photographs."
João Duque, an economist and director of ISEG, stated, "I'll be honest with you. It will all depend on the number of people who come to Lisbon. If the forecasts are correct (1 million visitors, note by the editor), then we believe we can generate several hundred million euros. It could be 300 million, 400 million, 500 million, or even a little more. But that depends on how many people come to Portugal."
The World Youth Day is often referred to as the "Catholic Woodstock."
It was established in 1986 by Pope John Paul II and takes place every few years.
Such events are part of the Vatican's efforts to attract young Catholics at a time when secularism and scandals related to sexual abuse of children by clergy have led some believers to leave the church.
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