World Youth Day is always represented by two symbols that travel to the host country: the Pilgrim Cross and the icon of Our Lady Salus Populi Romani. In the months leading up to each WYD, these symbols embark on a pilgrimage to proclaim the Gospel and support young people, in a special way, in the realities in which they live.
The reception and welcome of the symbols has led to positive outcomes all around the world. In Africa, for example, these two symbols encouraged young people to become a non-violent generation, they headed various marches for peace and were touched by thousands, who also greeted them wearing the traditional costumes of their countries. They have also helped bring about reconciliation where there was tension, for example in East Timor.
The Pilgrim Cross
At a height of 3.8 metres, the Pilgrim Cross, specially built to celebrate the Holy Year, in 1983, was entrusted by Pope John Paul II to the young people on Palm Sunday the following year, so that it could be taken around the world. The wooden Pilgrim Cross then embarked on a pilgrimage that has now taken it to five continents and almost 90 countries, and is regarded as a true sign of faith. It has been transported by foot and boat, as well as by less common means such as sledges, cranes and tractors. It has passed through jungles, visited churches, juvenile detention centres, prisons, schools, universities, hospitals, monuments and shopping centres. On its journey it has faced many obstacles, from airline strikes to transportation difficulties, such as the lack of available aeroplanes large enough to carry it.
It is recognised as a sign of hope in particularly sensitive locations. In 1985, it was in Prague, in what is now the Czech Republic, at a time when Europe was still divided by the Iron Curtain, and there it was a sign of communion with the Pope. Shortly after 11 September 2001, it travelled to Ground Zero, in New York, where terrorist attacks had killed almost 3,000 people. It also went to Rwanda, in 2006, after the country had been devastated by civil war.
The icon of Our Lady Salus Populi Romani
Since 2003, the Pilgrim Cross has been accompanied by the icon of Our Lady Salus Populi Romani, which portrays the Virgin Mary with the Christ Child in her arms. This icon was also introduced by Pope John Paul II as a symbol of Mary’s presence among young people. At a height of 1.2 metres and 80 centimetres wide, the icon of Our Lady Salus Populi Romani is associated with one of the most popular Marian devotions in Italy. There is an ancient tradition of carrying it in procession through the streets of Rome, to ward off dangers and misfortunes or to bring an end to plagues. The original icon is kept in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, in Rome, and is visited by Pope Francis, who prays and leaves flowers there before and after every apostolic journey.
The Pilgrim Cross and the icon of Our Lady Salus Populi Romani, symbols of World Youth Day, were entrusted to the Portuguese youth on 22 November 2020, the Feast of Christ the King. Between November 2021 and July 2023, the symbols of WYD will go on a pilgrimage around the 21 Dioceses of Portugal, thus announcing the largest meeting of world youth, scheduled for summer 2023, in Lisbon.
World Youth Day Lisbon 2023
