Pope Francis delivered a message of courage to young people on Friday evening during the Stations of the Cross devotion at the Catholic Church's World Youth Day in Lisbon.
"How bad are the moments of loneliness?" the 86-year-old pontiff asked the audience in the Portuguese capital's central Parque Eduardo VII. "But Jesus wants to fill my anguish with his love and consolation."
Francis called on the crowd to think of their suffering and fear and to remember the longing "that brings the heart to smile again."
The Stations of the Cross, also known as the Way of Sorrows or the Via Crucis, refers to a series of images depicting Christ on the day of his crucifixion. The suffering of Jesus is re-enacted over 14 stations.
Three young people also spoke about their personal experiences and their path to faith, while around 800,000 people followed the Via Crucis together with Francis.
Earlier on Friday, the Pope heard the confessions of some young people in the city's Vasco da Gama park.
Around 150 semi-open confessionals have been set up on the grounds of the park for World Youth Day, where priests will hear confessions during the festival of faith.
Francis also met a 106-year-old woman who was born on 13 May 1917, the day of the first reported appearance of the Virgin Mary in Fátima, one of the most important Catholic pilgrimage sites in the world. Francis will visit Fátima on Saturday.
