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France 24
France 24
Politics
NEWS WIRES

Pope Francis arrives in Portugal for World Youth Day as church grapples with sex abuse scandal

Pilgrims attend the opening mass of the World Youth Day gathering of young Catholics in Eduardo VII Park in Lisbon on August 1, 2023. © Thomas Coex, AFP

Pope Francis headed to Portugal on Wednesday to open the first post-pandemic edition of World Youth Day, hoping to inspire the next generation of Catholics while coping with the church's ongoing clergy sexual abuse scandal.

More than 1 million young people from around the world were expected to attend the gathering in Lisbon, which takes place over several days. Busloads of pilgrims started arriving before Tuesday despite temperatures forecast to hit 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) by the weekend’s final papal Mass.

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