At World Youth Day in Toronto in 2002, Pope John Paul II established Cologne, Germany as the location of the next World Youth Day.
And lo and behold, a German is elected to the papacy. The crowd? They loved him.
Huge crowds also welcomed Pope Benedict XVI in Sydney 2008…
…and the World Youth Day in Madrid 2011.
It was in Madrid where Pope Benedict XVI announced the location of the next World Youth Day celebration:
That’s right, the next World Youth Day will be in South America.
The event will be held July 23-28 in Rio de Janiero, which is about a three-hour flight from Buenos Aires, Argentina — where Pope Francis was archbishop.
Hope you booked your hotel already…