News

Pope Francis has signed up to attend World Youth Day in Panama City next year, one of the biggest events in the Catholic world.

Millions of pilgrims from all over the world will travel to Panama for the event, scheduled for Jan. 22-27, 2019. While it is a special religious event for Catholics, it will also put the global spotlight on Panama, fill hotel rooms and re-enforce Panama City’s role as an important capital in Latin America.

Cinta Costera will be the main venue for events, which means views of Panama City’s beautiful coastline will be beamed around the world.

The Pope officially opened registration by signing up online. “I too, now, with two young people, sign up by means of the internet,” the Pope said as he clicked a tablet to register before a crowd in St. Peter’s Square. “Now we must prepare ourselves!”

This will be the first World Youth Day held in Central America and it has been hailed a “bridge between two continents.” The event is typically held in summer but was switched to January to avoid Panama’s rainy season.

The last World Youth Day was held in Krakow, Poland, in 2016.

The official World Youth Day site can be found here.