Rome, Italy, Jul 27, 2016 / 10:44 am
As thousands of youth gather in Krakow this week for World Youth Day with Pope Francis, hundreds of undocumented immigrants in Texas who couldn't make it got a special message from the pontiff.
"Dear youth of the diocese of Brownsville…I want to be close to you. I want to tell you to always look forward, always look to the horizon. Don't let life put walls in front of you, always look to the horizon," the Pope said in a July 26 video message to the Texan youth.
"Always have the courage to want more, more and more...but courageously, while not forgetting to look back at the heritage that you have received from your ancestors, from your grandparents, from your parents; the legacy of your faith, this faith which now you have in your hands as you look forward."
On Tuesday the diocese of Brownsville hosted a diocesan-wide event called the World Youth Encounter, set to coincide with the official July 26 launch of WYD in Krakow, Poland. The event took place at St. Anne Parish in the impoverished Peñitas area of the city.