Address of Pope Francis to the community of the Saint Francis of Assisi Hospital in Rio de Janeiro, July 24, 2013 Dear Archbishop Tempesta, brother Bishops, Distinguished Authorities, Members of the Venerable Third Order of Saint Francis of Penance, Doctors, Nurses, and Health Care Workers, Dear Young People and Family Members, God has willed that ...read more

Greetings of Cardinal Raymundo Damasceno Assis, Archbishop of Aparecida, to Pope Francis upon his visit to the Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida, July 24, 2013 Holy Father, With great pleasure, I welcome Your Holiness this National Shrine of Our Lady of the Conception Aparecida. This Your pastoral visit to the shrine of the patron ...read more

Homily of Pope Francis at the Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida, July 24, 2013 My Brother Bishops and Priests, Dear Brothers and Sisters, What joy I feel as I come to the house of the Mother of every Brazilian, the Shrine of our Lady of Aparecida! The day after my election as Bishop of ...read more

Message of Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko, President of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, at the close of the Opening Mass of the 28th World Youth Day on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, July 23, 2013 Dearest young people! The long-awaited day has arrived: the inauguration of the 28th World Youth Day. Welcome to Rio ...read more

Homily of Archbishop Orani Joao Tempesta at the Opening Mass of the 28th World Youth Day on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, July 23, 2013 Dear young people! Distinguished authorities, ecclesiastical, civil, and military! Beloved People of God! We are starting World Youth Day Rio 2013! You are all welcome! This wonderful city has ...read more

Pope Francis arrived in Rio de Janeiro for the 28th World Youth Day on Monday, July 22nd. He addressed government officials, dignitaries and the President of Brazil, Dilma Rousseff with these words: Madam President, Distinguished Authorities, Brethren and Friends! In his loving providence, God wished that the first international trip of my pontificate should take ...read more

Salt and Light Photo: The National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida, Brazil By Sebastian Gomes World Youth Day Rio is about to begin and everyone is wondering what Pope Francis is going to say and do on his first trip back to South America.  Well, last week I may have uncovered a major clue. A ...read more

As a Technical Producer for Salt and Light in his second WYD, my experience of Rio started months ago with the search for solutions to all the details of a live broadcast. Since our arrival my mind has been busy with possible outcomes to our work, it has been easy to fill my senses with ...read more

Download World Youth Day’s Liturgy Book for Rio 2013. The book includes the Official WYD Prayer, the message of His Holiness Benedict XVI, message from Archbishop Orani João Tempesta, the WYD 2013 Hymn, the Liturgy of the Hours, Patron Saints of the Day, a guide to Confessions, the Order of the mass for all the major events, the ...read more

Courtesy of ZENIT, a 360 interactive image is available of “Campus Fidei” (“Field of Faith”), the site of next weekend’s WYD Rio Prayer Vigil and Closing Mass. Check it out for yourself: Launch interactive image! ...read more