"Historic" is the word most often heard from the teenagers gathering over the past few days in the streets of Rome, where they are visiting the city on pilgrimage, easily noticed with their backpacks and duffel bags.

Béatrice is French, 14-years-old, and she came from Lyon with her diocese for the Jubilee, which had originally included the canonization Mass for Italian teenager, Blessed Carlo Acutis.

"When we learned of the Pope’s death, we wondered whether the Jubilee would still take place... Luckily, it did! Every time I come back from a pilgrimage, I feel free again," she told Vatican News. Next to her were Arthur and Zoé, all from the Charles de Foucauld Middle School in Lyon, smiling.

"The Pope fulfilled his mission," commented Arthur, grateful to be able to attend the funeral Mass of the late Pope.

"We already went to Assisi," added Zoé energetically. "Now we understand what inspired Francis."

 “All we've ever known is this Pope,” they said, praising Pope Francis, who knew how to speak to them and give them attention.

At the funeral Mass on Saturday, April 26, Anna, who came from Geneva, Switzerland, shared: “The Jubilee for young people became a time of mourning and thanksgiving. This Pope was very close to young people. I remember his smile and the way he gently touched the hearts of all.”

Béatrice shared that she appreciates being here among the crowd of faithful who paid tribute to the late Bishop of Rome.

For the group leaders who made it possible for young people to live this unique experience, adjustments had to be made.

A vigil had been planned with the late Pope, but all were able to attend the funeral to pay their final respects.

Though the canonization of Blessed Carlo Acutis, another scheduled highlight of this Jubilee of Teenagers, has been postponed, tens of thousands of teenagers full of joy participated on Sunday in the second "Novemdiales" (nine days of mourning) Mass in honor of Pope Francis.

Participants in Youth Jubilee take part in “Via Lucis”

"Dear young people, let us experience the joy of your Jubilee of Young People by retracing some of the stages of the Via Lucis: the journey of the Risen Christ together with his disciples. Our life is full of joys and sorrows, questions and queries, but also expectations and hopes.”

With these words, Archbishop Rino Fisichella, pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelisation welcomed the tens of thousands of teenagers who had arrived in Rome for the Jubilee of Young People.

At 6pm, they all gathered at the Steps of the Church of Saints Peter and Paul in southern Rome to experience the first event of their Jubilee: the Via Lucis, a prayer initiative begun in 1988 by the Salesians which takes inspiration from the "Via Crucis", or stations of the cross, but focuses on the Resurrection. 

After having travelled to St Peter’s to pay their respects to Pope Francis, the young people travelled to the south of Rome. They waved flags, sang together with the choir of the Diocese of Rome and above all prayed during this special moment in the life of the universal Church.

A youth theatre troupe read the passages of the seven stations of the “Via Lucis”, and meditations taken from the Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles.

With the background music, the icon of the Virgin was enthroned and the unforgettable song of the 2000 World Youth Day - Jesus Christ you are my life - was sung.

"The Via Lucis, taking inspiration from the stages of the Lenten Way of the Cross, retraces the encounters of the risen Jesus with the eyewitnesses to the resurrection, from Easter Day to Pentecost," explains Fr Massimo Tellan, the Roman parish priest who organised the prayer moment.

The Paschal Candle was present next to the Pope's coffin last Wednesday as it was translated to St Peter’s, and it was also present for the Via Lucis, where seven torches were lit from its flame.

"For us believers, a funeral is an accompaniment towards the Father's house," Don Massimo goes on to explain, "and being able to pray with this perspective helps the young people to see this moment of transition and pain in the light of the Hope that does not disappoint, which is Christ himself".