Over 5,000 youth from throughout the archdiocese of Madrid will go in pilgrimage to Rome, from 3 August, and be received by the Pope at Castelgandolfo on 9 August. “Let’s take to the road” is the slogan of the pilgrimage, which is addressed to the youth of the Ecclesiastical Province of Madrid (comprising Alcalá, Castrense, Getafe and Madrid), between the ages of 15 and 35. The pilgrimage, due to end on 12 August, is being organized by the diocesan Delegation for Childhood and Youth, as part of the “Youth Mission” begun in 2006. “We want to experience this pilgrimage in the spirit of St. James”, said the Archbishop of Madrid, Cardinal Antonio Maria Rouco Varela, who also invited the young pilgrims to seek in the “successor of Peter the apostolic light and encouragement that urges us to continue” the mission, also with the support of the families of Madrid to bear witness to “Jesus Christ among our youth”. The diocesan “Youth Mission” is aimed at proclaiming Jesus to all children and adolescents in the archdiocese of Madrid today, especially to those who are most far removed from the faith and the ecclesial community, “to enable them to encounter Him and give a free and responsible response of faith”. The “Youth Mission” sees young people themselves as front-line protagonists and as the first witnesses of Christ to their contemporaries.
