World Youth Day 2023 in Lisbon

At centre, a pilgrim's cross surrounded by human-like figures of varying sizes and forms, arranged as if on a globe around the cross and embraced by two welcoming hands. Running from upper left to centre right: the commemorative inscriptions "JORNADA MUNDIAL DA JUVENTUDE" and "LISBOA 2023". Along the lower edge: the coat of arms of Portugal, the country name "PORTUGAL", the mint "CASA DA MOEDA" and the designer "JOÃO DUARTE".

World Youth Day is the largest recurring gathering of the Catholic Church, drawing hundreds of thousands of young believers from around the world since it was established by Pope John Paul II in 1985. Lisbon hosted the event in August 2023 — the first time World Youth Day was held on the Iberian Peninsula. The Portuguese capital welcomed an estimated more than one and a half million pilgrims, making it one of the most attended World Youth Days in history. Portugal, deeply rooted in Catholic tradition, has been regarded as a land of pilgrimage for centuries: the shrine of Fátima, one of the world's most important Marian pilgrimage sites, lies about 130 kilometers north of Lisbon and continues to shape the country's religious identity today.

The 2023 gathering was held under the theme "Mary arose and went with haste" — a reference to setting out, encounter, and the idea of worldwide connection through faith. Pope Francis traveled to Lisbon specifically for the occasion and celebrated Mass before enormous crowds at the Parque Eduardo VII grounds and along the banks of the Tagus. For Portugal, hosting the event was not only a religious but also a social occasion of international standing, turning the capital for several days into the center of the Catholic world. To mark World Youth Day Lisbon 2023, Portugal issued a 2-euro commemorative coin recalling this historic gathering.