World Youth Day is just two weeks away, and aside from evangelizing young Catholics, it’s also revitalizing a community in its host city.
However, the stage that the Lisbon City Council has prepared for World Youth Day has attracted the attention of the international community for one detail: its construction will cost almost $5.5 million.
The executive director of World Youth Day Madrid in 2011, Yago de la Cierva, spoke about these expenses with the mayor of Lisbon, who will receive Pope Francis during the pilgrimage.
“I think the controversy regarding the stage is one that has no real basis and perhaps the confusion comes from a problem of miscommunication, that it has not been well explained,” de la Cierva said. “What the mayor explained to me is that an area of the city that was neglected and in poor condition has been improved. It has been left fully prepared for many events in the future.”
De la Cierva further contends that although the purpose of World Youth Day “is not to bring money to the host country. If the organization is efficient, an event of this magnitude can be very beneficial.”