One Million Youth Visit Rio To See Pope On Large Screen

Rio de Janerio, Brazil––Media sources confirm that nearly one million Catholic young people from nearly every country in the world put aside their lives and traveled to Brazil to catch a glimpse of the Holy Father Pope Francis projected onto one of the large screens set up for the papal Mass culminating the World Youth Day celebrations. “The faithfulness and energy of the youth of the Catholic Church is inspiring,” said one attending priest. “We left Chicago nearly a week ago, and between the airplanes, trains, and buses getting here to Rio, then the five-mile hike to our appointed site, then trying to sleep under the open air while the Italian youth played soccer and sang as loudly as they possibly could, this has been quite an experience.” The young but exhausted priest then looked around and chastised two of his youth for sitting too closely together, for the tenth time. A Vatican spokesman told EOTT that, “From the time of soon-to-be St. John Paul II, World Youth Day has been an opportunity to bring the Church back to the young people to whom it belongs, in a way that is exciting and fresh,” the Monsignor said before laying his head down wearily on the wall behind him to fall asleep. The enthusiasm of the youth was tangible: “This is the most amazing moment of my life,” said Heinrich Kantor, a German eighteen-year-old, while looking at his phone screen as it recorded the larger screen showing the Holy Father.