Portugal: the Other Side of World Youth Day

Several witnesses observed them, but the mainstream press barely spoke about them. Here is what has nevertheless been clearly seen; it is the other side of WYD.

Following the live broadcast of the opening mass of WYD on the EWTN channel on August 1, Kennedy Hall wrote on the OnePeterFive website on August 4: “The first thing I noticed was the ridiculous monstrosity of a platform and altar that were erected for the event. The backdrop was a pseudo-high altar asymmetrical Lego/Minecraft-looking cubed edifice that lifted one’s mind to contemplate the limits of scaffolding, and certainly not the Divine.”

“The choir and orchestra were very strong, but the music was not sacred and given the fact that Lego churches don’t have good acoustics, the music was just loud. There was an army of priests who sat on the grass beside the platform as the Bishop and a dozen other priests stood around and did basically nothing as lay people did most of the work.”

“And as the cameras spanned through the crowds you could see a combination of young people dressed in an androgynous fashion with matching t-shirts and young women dressed with necklines more conducive to a night-club setting. … the most egregious part of the event was the lack of reverence, or complete absence of reverence, shown to the Eucharist.”

“At one point, a young woman approached a woman handing out Communion with one hand outstretched and then proceeded to walk away with the Host in a clenched fist Thankfully the lay ‘minister’ had enough sense to stop the girl and instruct her to consume the Host.”

“The girl was dumbstruck and didn’t know what she was being asked, and she had to be instructed to actually put the Host in her mouth. So, on the one hand – pun intended – we can take solace in the fact that a lay ‘minister’ stopped the theft of the Eucharist, but on the other hand, the girl was likely a non-Catholic and maybe even a Satanist looking to steal a host.”

Meanwhile: “There were upwards of 100 or more priests present, yet in the crowd and at the gates stood dozens of lay Eucharistic ‘ministers’ with ciborium filled with consecrated hosts ready to hand out the Body of Christ like a Eucharistic Pez dispenser.”

“Instead of using their consecrated hands to provide Holy Communion to the faithful, the priests instead grabbed Hosts from the ciborium and dipped them in the Precious Blood, using their hands as patens to catch any drips.”

On the website katholisches.info of August 4, Giuseppe Nardi notes a contradiction between the Pope's speech and the facts noted at WYD. Upon his arrival in Portugal, Francis told government officials and the diplomatic corps: “We are transforming the great reservoirs of life into plastic dumps.”

However, on the eve of the opening of WYD, during the Mass for the Spanish pilgrims, the hosts were placed for the consecration and for the distribution of communion in plastic bowls, of the Ikea type, covered with a cellophane food film. The Vaticanist concludes: “The greatest ‘reservoir of life’ of humanity and of creation as a whole has been…’transformed into a plastic dump’?”

“It seems that nothing has been learned from the negligence, one might even say the indifference, with which the Blessed Sacrament has been treated in the past during major events such as World Youth Day. This raises the question of the real understanding of the sacred by those in charge.”

And he recalls: “The principal organizer of World Youth Day, Mgr. Américo Alves Aguiar, auxiliary bishop of Lisbon, was created cardinal by Francis – in September, he will award the Portuguese cardinal in recognition of his commitment during WYD –, and it is this prelate who recently declared that WYD ‘does not want to convert anyone.’”

Giuseppe Nardi adds with raw realism: “It should be noted that, in many cases, there is no separation of the sexes in the WYD accommodation areas. Given the easy access to alcohol that young people have in Europe, and the easy access they will have to each other…”

“The EWTN team concluded the live broadcast on a positive note, noting that it was great to see so many flags waving in the crowd and such a welcoming atmosphere. Oh yes! Waving flags, immodesty, sacrilege... it looks like typical WYD. At least, the pilgrims will have the opportunity to listen to Fr. James Martin [American Jesuit, propagandist of the LGBTQ+ cause, present at WYD. Ed.], if they wish.”

La Nuova Bussola Quotidiana of August 12 published the interview it had with Savannah Dudzik, 22 years old, who came from Florida (United States) to WYD, outraged by what she saw on August 5: “Saturday evening, my friends and I were returning from Eucharistic adoration when we saw people kneeling inside a tent towards what looked like a plant sitting on top of some gray boxes. At first, we were confused, we didn't know what they were praying for.”

“So I asked one of the kneeling ladies and she told me that Jesus was in the boxes. At that moment I realized that Jesus had been placed inside the gray boxes. I thought it was disrespectful, I didn't understand how it was possible that they would chose to expose Him to adoration like that. My friends and I were very angry. Initially we left, then we decided to return and we recited a rosary of reparation.”

To the question if he reported the incident to the ecclesiastical authorities, the young American replied: “Yes, four days ago, I sent an email to the Holy See, to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, to several bishops and secretaries, as well as to the organizers of WYD. But so far I have not received a response.”

In general, Savannah Dudzik maintains her attachment to WYD, but she notes: “I think that the last night, in Campo da Graça, where the incident with the boxes occurred, demonstrated the negative aspects. There were a lot of abuses, not necessarily with the Eucharist, but there were a lot of liturgical abuses that happened there.”

And she specifies the expectations of young people of her generation: “On Sunday morning, when young people go to church, they are not looking for a disco atmosphere. And that’s what was given to us on the last day of WYD [with Fr. Guilherme Peixoto, the “DJ priest” playing techno music on the console, before the Pope's mass. Ed.]. Young people are looking for something sacred, something that brings them closer to God.”

“And we have had this for thousands of years in the Catholic Church through beautiful music, the traditional music that has always been played at Mass. So don't think that we need a priest who tries to please young people. This is not what we want. It’s not what we think is beautiful. All we are looking for is the tradition of the Catholic Church.”

In La Nuova Bussola Quotidiana of August 2, Tommaso Scandroglio points out the inversion taking place at WYD, under the explicit title: “The Golden Calf of Environmentalism in Place of God.” He denounces the fact that, during these days, “themes such as pollution and the climate take center stage,” because “environmentalism overturns the order of creation, degrades mankind and replaces the worship of God with the worship of the Earth.”

And he quotes the presentation of the new ecological catechesis on the official WYD 2023website: “Let us reflect on the planet's resources and what we leave to future generations. Taking care of the common home implies reflecting on the human and social dimensions.”

“In Laudato si’, Pope Francis presents us with St. Francis of Assisi as the main example in that he lives in wonderful harmony with God, others, nature, and himself. We must make this ambition our own!”

“An integral ecology requires time to rediscover a serene harmony with Creation, to reflect on our lifestyle and ideals, to contemplate the Creator. Everything is connected. Human existence rests on three fundamental pillars: relationship with God, with others, and with the Earth.…Take care of our common home! Now!”

Tommaso Scandroglio concludes with caustic irony: “Faithful to the command of Américo Aguiar, in charge of the Lisbon WYD, who ordered there should be no evangelization during the WYD, here the young people will talk, listen, and discuss the global warming, melting glaciers and air conditioners.”

In other words, “To the desertification of faith they have substituted the climatic-environmental desertification; to the pollution of souls the pollution of rivers, lakes, and seas; to moral integrity the integral ecology; to eternal salvation the short one linked to the fight against global warming; to conversion to God the environmental conversion; to sacraments recycling and electric cars; to diversity of charisms biodiversity; to the examination of conscience self-accusation of anthropogenic global warming; to processions environmental marches; to Fridays of abstinence Fridays for the future; to the fear of God, eco-anxiety; to the Blessed Virgin, Greta Thunberg. To the worship of God, the worship of the goddess Earth.”