Pope tells young people to tackle climate crisis, poverty

Pope Francis urged young people to focus on caring for the planet and fighting climate change, calling for an "integral ecology" that melds environmental protection with the fight against poverty and other social problems.

The audience of around 6,500 people, which included Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and bishops, cheered and applauded as the pontiff took the stage. The first Latin American pope arrived in Lisbon on Wednesday for World Youth Day festivities.

Francis, who met with clergy and victim of clerical sexual abuse on Wednesday, will deliver a Mass on Sunday in Lisbon on the last day of his five-day visit to Portugal. World Youth Day, created in 1986 by John Paul II, is the largest Catholic gathering in the world and will feature a wide range of events, including concerts and prayer sessions.