Since the pope signed up in mid-February, 75,000 young people from all over the world have registered for WYD in Panama 2019. Although it is possible to participate without signing up, the registrations will help organizers better serve the participants.
With less than nine months until WYD in Panama, hundreds of people on both sides of the Atlantic are working to prepare everything to the smallest detail. One of these people is ambassador Miroslava Rosas.
MIROSLAVA ROSAS
Ambassador of Panama to the Holy See
'The preparations are going very well, there have been many meetings here in Rome on different levels: security, protocol, and press. We have a commitment as a country. We want to do it well. We want to coordinate everything with the authorities at the Vatican, so that it will be a special day and there will be a before and after for the World Youth Day in Panama.'
Also Pope Francis is following the preparations closely and during the meetings with the youth, he always invites them to travel to Panama with him in January.
“... the international day that we will celebrate in Panama in January 2019.”
MIROSLAVA ROSAS
Ambassador of Panama to the Holy See
'He is very aware of what is happening. In these days I said to him, 'I need some help on some questions, but remember that this is your and my WYD.' Then he laughs, because he truly knows that it is his WYD, which is essentially a Latin American one. Although it is a world event, he is going to leave his legacy on the American continent.'
In a few days, a high-level delegation from Panama will arrive in the Vatican to coordinate more preparations. For example, the pope's definitive schedule is yet to be determined, including if the pope will visit other countries in Central America.
