by Bishop Nicholas Hudson
Welcome to Panama city for World Youth Day 2019. Behind me there are literally hundreds of thousands of young people streaming past as they make their way to the inaugural Mass of this World Youth Day to be presided over by Bishop José Domingo Ulloa Mendieta OSA, Bishop of Panama city.
Pope Francis joins us at the end of the week meanwhile there will be three days of quite intensive catechesis, faith sharing led by Bishops from all over the world, including four from England and Wales: Bishop Terrence Drainey of Middlesborough, Bishop William Kenney of Birmingham, Bishop Alan Williams of Brentwood and myself.
We’ve come here with 250 young people from England and Wales, 25 of whom are from Westminster. I had my first Mass with them at World Youth Day yesterday evening. It was very prayerful and I asked them to pray for all those people who’ve asked their prayers during this World Youth Day, to pray for themselves that the Lord might show them his will for their lives, and also to pray for everyone back home in Westminster Diocese. We pray for you, we hold you in our hearts and we hope that you hold us in yours.
More photos from World Youth Day can be viewed on our flickr album here.
