Pope wraps up World Youth Day with 1.5 million attendees and urges: 'Do not be afraid of failing'
Pope Francis is wrapping up his five-day trip to Portugal LISBON, Portugal -- Pope Francis told young people on Sunday the Catholic Church needs them and urged them to follow their dreams as he wrapped up World Youth Day in Portugal on Sunday with a massive open-air Mass for an estimated 1.5 million people. “Do not be afraid !” Francis told the vast crowd of pilgrims, many of whom camped out overnight on the Lisbon field so they could be in place for the grand finale of the Catholic festival. Francis largely stuck to script but again skipped much of his prepared homily, continuing the improvisation that has characterized his five-day trip to Portugal. Early on in his 10-year papacy, Francis would frequently go rogue and ignore his pre-planned speeches, seemingly moved by the moment to engage directly with even huge crowds of people. In more recent years, he largely stuck to script especially when visiting places where Christians are a minority or where his audiences might not appreciat...