Pope Francis will hear the confessions five youths, three men and two women during his visit to the Vocations Fair in Quinta da Boa Vista, on the 26th of July. The young people, three Brazilians, one Venezuelan and one Italian, were surprised by the news on the day of Our Lady Help of Christians, May 24th. The draw that chose the names of the young people was made by the registration system and was conducted after the prayer of directors from the Pastoral Preparation Department and the Local Organizing Committee of World Youth Day.

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Are you worried about getting lost in Rio? Don't worry! To provide easier access to information for tourists who will arrive in Rio de Janeiro for World Youth Day, the city is preparing special signs for the event.

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Pope Francis, a Jesuit, will be leading the Vigil with young people and celebrating the Final Mass in Guaratiba during World Youth Day. The region used to be a part of the Hacienda Santa Cruz, which was run by Jesuit fathers during the XVI century, in colonial Brazil. This historic fact is part of a research project by Diogo da Silva Cardoso, a doctoral candidate in geography at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.

The Catholic faithful from around the world are invited to send their prayer intentions to the Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida for the Mass that Pope Francis will celebrate there during his visit to Brazil in July.

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One of the traditional activities of World Youth Day (WYD) is catechesis. Conducted by bishops of diverse nationalities invited by the Pontifical Council for the Laity (PCL), catechesis is a moment of reflection and an in-depth examination of the WYD Rio 2013 theme “Go and make disciples among all the nations” (Mt 28:19). Young people from different countries, speakers of a same language, gather together with priests, bishops, and cardinals, to pray and meditate on the mysteries of the love of God.

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Here is another episode of "World Youth Day Minute", featuring the latest English news from the WYD2013 organising committee in Rio. This episode was recorded on 21 June 2013, and talks about the new pilgrim information phone line, the latest email update for volunteers, and how to register for the Graffiti Art contest.

Two of the main Brazilian tourist attractions, the Bondinho (Sugarloaf cable car) and the statue of Christ the Redeemer, will be open longer hours and will have a special schedule during World Youth Day. Tickets sales will be exclusively online.

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During his trip tp Brazil for World Youth Day 2013, on Wednesday 24 July, Pope Francis will visit the National Shrine of Aparecida in São Paulo. The Holy Father will travel in the Popemobile through the city for 45 minutes.

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To make life easier for the pilgrims and volunteers during World Youth Day 2013 the Rio City Council has unanimously voted to have a four-day holiday.

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Here is a new promo video from the WYD office in Rio - promoting the hashtag #Pray4WYD. With less than a month to go, it is so important to supprt the Holy Father's journey to Brazil with our prayers!

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