August 19, 2011 – Pilgrims from all over flock to Plaza de Cibeles and Plaza de Colon to join hundreds of thousands or perhaps even millions of pilgrims, young and old alike, for the culmination of today’s event through the traditional Stations of the Cross. People lined up on streets wherein steel grills and giant screens are placed for crowd control and simultaneous monitoring of the event. Hundreds of thousands of water bottles were distributed among young pilgrims waiting in the area hours before the program began. Firefighters spray water on crowds exposed from the sun’s scorching heat. But beyond all these hype are scenes and moments you would only see in candid capture of people behind the scenes, most of which are veiled from the general public watching the events on TV. People sleeping, priests saying mass on the ground, friars posing for the camera, clerics climbing to higher structures, pilgrims climbing trees, and thousands of other candid moments that happened, before, during and after the main events unfolded. Below are the photos gathered for the 4th day of World Youth Day.

behind the scenes –

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