As a result of the celebration these days of World Youth Day (WYD), with the visit of Pope Francis to Lisbon, messages such as the following are circulating on X (formerly Twitter): “The youth of the Pope in Lisbon, demonstrating that They are undoubtedly the generation that will create a more just and supportive world. Someone explain to them that the open doors were to the heart of God. The meter is paid.”
The tweet is accompanied by a video in which several young people appear, apparently WYD pilgrims, crossing the turnstiles of the Lisbon metro without passing their ticket.
However, this is false. According to the information on the WYD 2023 website, the packages include free transportation during the entire World Youth Day period.
The pilgrim kit includes free transport
As indicated on the WYD 2023 website, “all packages include the pilgrim's kit, personal accident insurance and free transportation during the WYD period.”
Pilgrims have been provided with a yellow “Navegante” pass that allows them to circulate through all public service companies for regular passenger transport, throughout the municipalities of the Lisbon Metropolitan Area (AML).. This pass works for a period of variable duration: four days from August 4 to 7; eight days from July 31 to August 7; nine days from July 30/31 to August 7/8; or only for volunteers, 16 days from July 23 to August 7.
The yellow pass contains the initials of WYD and the number of days printed in black letters, it will depend on the period that the pilgrims have paid. WYD participants send the INFOVERITAS team a photograph of the card, which also includes an exclusive number that corresponds to each one of the pilgrims, so that its use is non-transferable.
The accreditation hanging from the neck
WYD participants confirm to INFOVERITAS how they have organized. “Each pilgrim who has paid for the pack has an accreditation around his neck, plus a metro card and a bus card. Most of the time we swipe the card. However, if there are a lot of people, the security officers directly check that we wear the accreditation around our necks.”
Accreditation reveals information about the package that the pilgrim has paid for. Young people should write their name, the country they come from and the name of their group coordinator contact.
What is WYD?
World Youth Day (WYD) consists of a meeting of young people from all over the world with the Pope. On their website, they define it as “a youth festival, an expression of the universal Church and a strong moment of evangelization of the world of youth”. It takes place every two, three or four years on an international basis in a city chosen by the Pope, and always counting on his presence.. The first edition took place in 1986 in Rome.
This year it is celebrated in the city of Lisbon. The meeting began with the opening mass on August 1 at seven in the evening and will come to an end on August 6. However, as indicated by the periods of validity of the “navigator” pass, some young people will remain in the Portuguese capital until August 8.
INFOVERITAS verifies that…
The young pilgrims who have attended the World Youth Day have paid the transport pass to move around the city of Lisbon. The official WYD website specifies that the packs that pilgrims have purchased to attend include transport in the city.
In addition, WYD participants confirm to INFOVERITAS that the accreditation and metro and bus cards come with the registration. In the video they show how they pass through the subway doors, since the security check that the young people carry the accreditation with them, because all the packages of the pilgrim kit include the free transport pass.