"Dear brothers and sisters, 

There is an expression that we have heard frequently during these days: “thank you”, or rather, “obrigado”. It is very beautiful what the Patriarch of Lisbon just told us: that obrigado not only conveys a sense of gratitude for what we have received but also the desire to give in return. All of us, in this grace- filled event, have received much. Now, as we return home, the Lord makes us, in turn, feel the need to share and to give, to bear witness joyfully and eagerly to the good that God has poured into our hearts. 

Yet before we go our separate ways, I too would like to say obrigado. First of all, to Cardinal Clemente, and with him to the Church and the entire Portuguese people, obrigado! Obrigado to the President of the Republic, who has accompanied us during the events of these days; obrigado to the national and local institutions for their support and assistance; obrigado to the Bishops, priests, consecrated men and women and the lay faithful. Obrigado also to Lisbon, which these young people will always remember as a “fraternal home” and “city of dreams”! I express deep gratitude also to Cardinal Farrell, who has been rejuvenated in this World Youth Day, and those who prepared this World Youth Day, as well as to those who accompanied these days with prayer. Obrigado to the volunteers, to them this heartfelt applause for their great service! Our thanks must go particularly to those who watched over World Youth Day from above, namely the patron saints of the event: especially John Paul II, who brought these World Youth Days to life. 

And obrigado to all of you, dear young people! God sees how good you are. He alone knows what he has sown in your hearts. You leave here with what God sowed in your heart, make it grow, take good care of it. I would like to give you a recommendation: keep the most beautiful moments present in your mind and in your heart. Then, when the inevitable times of fatigue and discouragement come, and perhaps the temptation to give up or close in on yourselves, relive the experiences and the graces of these days. Indeed, never forget, this is the reality, this is who you really are: the holy People of God walking in the joy of the Gospel! I would also like to send a special greeting to the young people who could not be here, and who participated in local initiatives organized by the Dioceses and Bishops’ Conferences in their countries; I am thinking, for example, of our sub-Saharan brothers and sisters gathered in Tangier. Thank you all, thank you very much. 

In a particular way, let us accompany with our thoughts and prayers those who could not be with us because of armed conflicts and wars. Indeed, there are many of them in our world. In thinking of this continent, I feel great sorrow for beloved Ukraine, which continues to suffer greatly. Dear friends, allow me, as an older person, to share with you, young people, a dream that I carry within me: it is the dream of peace, the dream of young people praying for peace, living in peace and building a peaceful future. As we pray the Angelus, let us place the future of humanity into the hands of Mary, Queen of Peace. And there is one last obrigado that I would like to emphasize at the end: obrigado to our roots; to our grandparents, who transmitted the faith to us, who transmitted the horizon of a life; they are our roots. As you return home, please continue to pray for peace. What is more, you are a sign of peace for the world, showing how different nationalities, languages and histories can unite instead of divide. You are the hope of a different world.  Thank you for this.  Onwards!"