When the Pope said Mass celebrated Mass at World Youth Day why did the Deacon read the Gospel?

When a deacon is present at the Celebration of the Eucharist, he has some special duties that he is responsible for. These duties include proclaiming the Gospel (and possibly the homily), praying the General Intercessions, assisting in the distribution of Communion, and carrying out other liturgical duties as necessary. So although at World Youth Day there were tons of priests that could have proclaimed the Gospel, it is the rightful duty of the deacon to do so, if there is a deacon present at the Mass.

Julianne E. Wallace is the director of campus ministry at Alvernia University in Reading, Pennsylvania. She is currently working on a D.Min. in Educational Leadership from Virginia Theological Seminary. She earned an M.T.S. in Word and Worship from the Washington Theological Union in Washington, D.C. and a B.A. in Music Performance from the University of Mary Washington in Virginia. Julianne is passionate about sharing the joy of liturgy with others and helping everyone to worship well.