Lisbon is getting ready for World Youth Day
During the six days of World Youth Day (WYD) in Lisbon, which begin next week, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) will carry out a number of initiatives aimed at raising awareness of Christian persecution around the world and mobilizing people to defend the suffering Church in their own countries.
“We want to raise awareness of the truth of the persecuted Church around the world, which, unfortunately, is unknown to many,” said Catarina Martins de Bettencourt, national director of ACN’s office in Portugal, during one of the many preparatory meetings for World Youth Day, which will be held August 1st through 6th.
The hustle and bustle of such an event is already palpable at the ACN office in Lisbon, with people preparing materials, rallying volunteers, and putting the finishing touches on plans. The goal is to make sure that nothing goes wrong when the Portuguese capital plays host to over one million young people from nearly every country in the world.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and we don’t want to waste it,” said Martins de Bettencourt. “It’s not every day that you get to participate in an event as important as WYD, and at ACN, we consider it a big responsibility.”
During the week-long WYD, ACN will sponsor several events aimed at calling attention to the reality of the persecuted Church in the world, and the testimonies of faith that the organization receives from countries without religious freedom.
“Our aim is to invite each person who passes our booth, and attends our exhibitions, conferences, and screenings, to take a closer look at the subject of Christian persecution,” said the head of ACN Portugal. For example, in the Martyrs Basilica, in the Chiado neighborhood, visitors will see several Christian artifacts that were desecrated in ISIS-occupied Iraq, as part of an exhibition on the country’s Christians on the Nineveh Plains.
These initiatives, which will take place in several parts of the city, will be called “Heroes in Faith.”
The Basilica will also host a conference with testimonies from two Christians, Joseph Fadelle and Rafi Ghattas. Fadelle is an Iraqi convert from Shia Islam who was arrested, tortured, and made to flee the country with his wife and children. He has since published a book about his experiences called The Price to Pay. Ghattas is a Palestinian Christian from the Holy Land, and he will speak at the conference about his community, which currently makes up only one percent of the population in Palestine.
ACN Portugal has also organized a photography exhibition in the cloisters of the old Graça convent, dedicated to the personal stories of men and women from different countries who are examples of faith in the face of adversity.
Another initiative planned for World Youth Day is the showing of several documentaries about the lives of people whose faith is tested every day. These will be screened at the São Jorge cinema in Lisbon.
The testimonies and stories collected by ACN come from Mozambique, Syria, Honduras, Cambodia, and Ethiopia. “Above all, we want the young people to feel challenged by these examples of Christians who faced so many dangers and who, despite everything, continued to proclaim their faith until the end, no matter the consequences,” Martins de Bettencourt explained.
“We hope to be able to plant a seed in their hearts, a desire to also take part in this mission of helping and standing with persecuted Christians and the Church in Need,” she added.
ACN will have its own booth in the City of Joy, in Belém.
—Paulo Aido & Maria Lozano
