Watch live as a welcome ceremony is held for the Pope at Lisbon’s Parque Eduardo VII park on Thursday 3 August. Francis arrived in Portugal yesterday, for World Youth Day - an event created by the late Pope John Paul for young Catholics in their teens or early 20s. This year’s event is the first time it has been held since 2019 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The pontiff’s five-day trip to Portugal hopes to energise young Catholics, but is taking place in the shadow of the country’s huge clergy sexual abuse scandal and local anger at the soaring cost of the event. Francis said on Wednesday that the Catholic Church needs a “humble and ongoing purification” to deal with the “anguished cries” of victims of clerical sexual abuse, who he met privately on the first day of his visit. The crisis “calls us to a humble and ongoing purification, starting with the anguished cry of the victims, who must always be accepted and listened to,” he said. Read More Pope Francis urges students in Portugal to fight economic injustice and protect the environment Watch: Pope Francis visits Portugal for World Youth Day festival Pope Francis will be in Portugal for 5 days. Here's what he will visit