Vatican spokesman: Pope Francis "clearly enjoying" World Youth Day

(Vatican Radio) After Pope Francis was officially welcomed to World Youth Day during a ceremony on Thursday evening, the Vice-Director of the Holy See Press Office, Greg Burke, said “it is really clear [Pope Francis] is enjoying” his visit to Krakow, Poland.

“You can tell he is at ease, very much at ease,” Burke told Vatican Radio.

Listen to the interview by Lydia O’Kane with Greg Burke:

“He did throw out a big challenge: Are you willing to change the world?” – Burke continued – “He talked about mercy having a young face – it always has a young face.  He believes that, and he knows the young people believe that.”

Burke said Friday would be a day of reflection, both with Pope Francis’ visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau memorial in the morning, and the Via Crucis scheduled for the evening.

“World Youth Day is all about fun, and it is about joy – and he talked about that today, he says that often you know a Christian without joy, something is really missing,” Burke said.

“Now having said that, Christianity is also the Cross, and that’s a part of it, and the Pope is the first one to admit that,” he said.