KINGSTON, Ont. - öÏÓãÊÓƵapp 100 young people participated in World Youth Day (WYD) at Home in Kingston, one of several such events in Canada for those unable to attend the real thing in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

RIO DE JANEIRO - In the sea of young people on Copacabana beach were many who said faith is ageless.

RIO DE JANEIRO - The street protests involving hundreds of thousands of mostly young people in cities across Brazil, and in other countries, are a sign of the youths' desire for a more just world, but Christians must ensure the protests are peaceful and that efforts to improve society are guided by Christian values, Pope Francis said.

RIO DE JANEIRO - Pope Francis commissioned some 3 million young people to join forces and form what could be called Missionaries Without Borders.

RIO DE JANEIRO - With the young pilgrims of World Youth Day, Pope Francis was encouraging and challenging; with the bishops, priests and religious who minister to them he was firm and blunt.

RIO DE JANEIRO - Pope Francis spent the morning and early afternoon of July 26 with about two dozen young people from different countries and diverse backgrounds, in a range of encounters that illustrated his characteristic emphasis on inclusion and reconciliation.

RIO DE JANEIRO - With his cross and resurrection, Christ promises to walk with and ease the burden of every suffering person, whether that suffering comes from violence, addiction, a broken family, hunger, persecution or the death of a loved one, Pope Francis said.

I don't know why, but this World Youth Day, I've been thinking a lot about the Cross. It is partly because the Cross is the symbol of WYD (very clearly displayed as the WYD Cross). But there are other reasons. I began this journey reflecting on the adventure of walking alongside Jesus  hoping to encounter Jesus. At some point in that journey, we are bound to encounter the Cross.

RIO DE JANEIRO - "I saw the pope! I saw the pope!" yelled Hiago Ferreira de Araujo of Feira de Santana, Brazil, as he jumped up and down like a little kid who had just scored a goal.

RIO DE JANEIRO - Even at its stormiest, the Sea of Galilee doesn't have waves like those pounding Copacabana beach, but Pope Francis asked young Catholics to imagine they were with Jesus on the seashore and he was asking them to follow him and share his love with others.