CRACOW -- Pope Francis was scheduled to arrive in Cracow during the early afternoon on Wednesday, where thousands of young people from all over the world are gathered together for the launch of World Youth Day.

 The event is set to run from Wednesday to Sunday, and will be Pope Francis’ first time leading the international celebration. He has travelled from Rome to Southern Poland, Cracow, which is historically a stronghold of the Catholic Church, to join with the Polish church and society for the event.  Pope Francis will deliver six speeches, three sermons and a reading of the Angelus prayer to young people from many different countries who have come together for the occasion.

 Pope Francis’ journey, however, does not come at any easy time, what with the violence of recent days and the increasingly important problem of integration in Europe. He is also confronted with a Church which has not also been in synchronization with his preaching, as ANSA highlights.

 The Pope’s journey will include visits to the concentration camps of both Auschwitz and Birkenau, as well as his meeting with several holocaust survivors, on Friday. He will also meet with patients in a paediatric hospital as well as several nuns.

 Pope Francis will play an important part in all the key moments of this year’s World Youth Day, and will follow the traditions that were established by Pope John Paul II which have been consolidated over the course of the past few years. He will play a key part in the all-important welcome ceremony, and as is tradition, will announce the date and location of next year’s World Youth Day during Mass on Sunday, the final day.

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