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East Anglian pilgrims join millions at World Youth Day 

An 80-strong pilgrim group from the Diocese of East Anglia is taking part in World Youth Day in Krakow, Poland, this week and will be joined by an estimated two million other young Catholics along with Pope Francis.


 
The East Anglia group includes dozens of young people from across Norfolk along with Bishop Alan Hopes and a number of local priests.
 
They spent last week in the Zakopane region of Poland visiting local churches and shrines, meeting local Catholics and walking in the Tetra mountains, following in the footsteps of former Polish Pope, Saint John Paul II.
 
Sarah Mawe, 26, a teaching assistant from Reepham, and a member of the Diocesan Youth Council’s, has been reporting back on the group’s progress, contributing to a daily blog at www.rcdea.org.uk.
 
She also spoke to Radio Norfolk live from Poland: “I heard Pope Francis speak at the last World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro and he talks in an amazing way, direct to you in language that you can really understand. I can really connect with him and am looking forward to hearing him speak at this year’s event.”
 
Hear Sara Mawe interviewed on BBC Radio Norfolk about World Youth Day in Krakow, Rio and Madrid, live from Poland. Start at 2:45:30 hrs
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p040grtl
 
You can see young East Anglia pilgrims at the World Youth Day Opening Mass in Krakow in the video below by Paul Spellman.
 


Pope Francis will be welcomed to World Youth Day today and culminates with an overnight vigil on Saturday night and a Mass with the Pope on Sunday.
 

Follow the East Anglia group’s progress on social media at https://twitter.com/igniteyea and https://www.facebook.com/igniteyea/
 

See a full picture gallery of the East Anglia group's trip below.
 

World Youth Day - East Anglia Pilgrims July 2016

Pictured above, Pope Francis arrives in Poland yesterday on his way to World Youth Day. © Mazur/catholicnews.org.uk