More than a million Roman Catholic believers trooped to the Polish city of Krakow during the past days to join the World Youth Day. Some from farther countries had to ride planes, others had to board on ships, while others still had to take the trains.
Three young French pilgrims, however, used the power of their faith and their legs to be able to join the youth event, which happens only every two to three years.
Victor Jacquemont, Antoine Lescuyer, and Humbert Canot, all Roman Catholic believers, embarked on an 18-day journey using their bicycles to participate in the World Youth Day in Poland.
The three young men, all in their twenties, started their journey on July 4 and biked across France, Germany, and the Czech Republic before reaching Poland. They covered 1,134 miles along the way.
Speaking to the Catholic News Agency, the teenagers said they brought with them a small tent to take care of their accommodations, but also asked for the hospitality of some local churches.
What started as a simple journey to the World Youth Day also became an opportunity for the young men, who all hailed from the French suburb of Cergy, to meet other believers.
"It's not just a trip. It was kind of a pilgrimage," Canot told CNA.
The young man also explained that he and his two companions chose to ride the bicycle to Poland instead of more convenient modes of transportations because they wanted to make "some physical effort" along the way. He further explained that they also wanted time to think about their faith.
"The bike was kind of an ideal way of traveling for that," Canot said.
Aside from these, the three young Catholics were also inspired by Pope Francis' encyclical on the environment, "Laudato Si." Canot said riding a bicycle to the World Youth Day event will be a good way of putting the Pope's advice to have "an ecological way of living" put into practice.
