Bordalo II protests €160M World Youth Day costs with fake banknote carpet

The 37th World Youth Day (WYD) took place in Lisbon from August 1-6, 2023, drawing over 1.5 million young participants from 200 nations. Originally scheduled for 2022, it was postponed due to the pandemic. The event, which began in Rome on March 23, 1986, with Pope John Paul II, now rotates cities every three years; Seoul will host in 2027. Lisbon spent approximately €160 million to prepare, including €4 million (€6 million with excavation) for the main stage-altar at Campo da Graça in Parque Tejo. Mayor Carlos Moedas defended the expense as an investment in urban renewal. On July 28, 2023, Portuguese artist Bordalo II (born 1987) and his team installed a carpet printed with giant €500 banknotes on the stage steps, titling the work Walk of Shame (2023). He criticized the use of public funds for what he called a 'multinational Italian tour' in a secular state where many struggle for housing and jobs. This follows his 2022 series Cruzes, Credo, Canhoto, which included sculptures of church symbols and a cross made of stuffed toys placed in Portuguese churches to protest clerical sexual abuse scandals. Pope Francis has acknowledged the abuse crisis, stating in May 2023 that church leaders' mismanagement undermined credibility.