Pilgrims from Central America will make up the largest block of participants in World Youth Day,(WYD)  January 22-23 -the largest mass event of the Catholic Church in the world.

At the request of Panamanian authorities, their arrival will be staggered said Nicaraguan Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes on Monday, January 7.

Young people from Nicaragua and Honduras will be the first to enter, on January 21. They will be followed by pilgrims from El Salvador and Guatemala, on January 22, The last pilgrims to arrive will be from  Costa Rica, on January 23, when the official activities begin.

WYD will attract hundreds of thousands of pilgrims, bishops, volunteers, and journalists from 187 countries, according to the organizers.

The goal of WYD is to spread the message of Christ "in an open and convivial environment to share and reflect together on the fundamental issues of existence," according to the Church.