Prince and Princess of Asturias show their support and enthusiasm for the social impact of WYD

This morning, the Prince and Princess of Asturias received representatives of the Madrid Vivo Foundation and members of the World Youth Day (WYD) Organizing Committee. The Madrid Vivo Foundation is one of the foundations that is working to make World Youth Day a reality.

The Prince and Princess of Asturias have shown their support and enthusiasm for this great event of international importance and social significance. They also showed their great interest in the preparations underway and their enthusiasm for being at the threshold of what will prove to be a unique opportunity for Spain.

During the encounter, the Cardinal of Madrid and President of the Organizing Committee of the upcoming World Youth Day, Antonio Maria Rouco Varela, spoke of the “Generation of Hope”, referring to the many young people from around the world who will come to WYD and discover a vision of hope and joy for a life in which the “civilization of love” is not merely a utopia.

As a sign of their affection, organizers presented the Prince and Princess of Asturias with World Youth Day t-shirts for their daughters, and a WYD watch for each of them.

It is not the first time the Prince shows his support for World Youth Day. On the occasion of Benedict XVI's visit to Santiago de Compostela in November, the Prince of Asturias spoke in the Pope’s presence of the great honor of celebrating World Youth Day in Madrid. Likewise, on the day of the beatification of John Paul II, the Prince of Asturias bid farewell to the Pope saying: “Holy Father, we await you in Madrid!”

There are currently about 400,000 young people from 182 countries registered for World Youth Day in Madrid.