The Virgin Mary will be the focus of the next 3 WYD:

Here are the themes chosen by Pope Francis for the next 3 World Youth Days:

WYD 2017: "The Almighty has done great things for me" (Lk 1:49)

WYD 2018: "Be not afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God" (Lk 1:30)

WYD 2019 (Panama): "Behold the handmaid of the Lord. Let it be done to me according to thy word" (Lk 1:38)

This Marian tone, the Dicastery for the Laity explained, "is consistent with the reflection begun during the last three WYD (2014-16), centered on the Beatitudes" because "Mary is the one whom all generations will call blessed."

This "strongly Marian connotation" also echoes the words of Pope Francis at the WYD 2016 in Krakow, describing the Mother of Jesus as "a model to be imitated."

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