World Youth Day takes place July 23-28, 2013 and the CatholicTV Network will provide extensive coverage. Tune in the Opening Mass, Closing Mass and all the major events with Pope Francis in between.
Pope Francis will fly to Rio de Janeiro July 22, spending six days in Brazil celebrating World Youth Day before leaving July 29. During that time the Vatican has announced the pope will visit a hospital, a slum, meet Brazil's President, Latin American bishops and juvenile offenders. He will also address what the Vatican's official itinerary describes as the "ruling class of Brazil."
The pope's first international trip was planned under Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. Pope Francis will spend half a day in Apareceda, where he will pray in the Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida, Brazil's principal patron saint. The focus of the trip, however, will be devoted to World Youth Day events, starting with a welcome ceremony on Rio's Copacabana Beach, where he will later lead the Stations of the Cross and culminating in an outdoor Mass in Guaratia.
For more information on the celebration, visit the official World Youth Day website.
CatholicTV provided coverage of all the major events from World Youth Day 2011 in Madrid, Spain.
CatholicTV Network WYD2011 Programming:
Relive CatholicTV News Center coverage of all the events from World Youth Day 2008 in Sydney, Australia. Father Robert Reed and Peter Skipper Jr. provided exclusive CatholicTV broadcasts of the Masses and all of Pope Benedict XVI's appearances. Cardinal Seán O'Malley, "Going My Way" host Father Chris Hickey and Father Matt Williams reports from Down Under. Lino Rulli looks back at past World Youth Days as only as he can.