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By Kathleen Carmody
A group of young Australian Catholics is petitioning to have the 19th World Youth Day held in Sydney in 2004.
World Youth Day is a special gathering of
young Catholics and the Pope held every two years in a different country. The next World Youth Day will be held next year in Toronto, Canada.
Joe Suttie, of the Faith and Reason Society at the University of
NSW, said the petition was a lay initiative, which had been instigated by members of Youth 2000, Antioch, the Faith and Reason Society and the Sydney University-based Society of St Peter, among others.
And it has the support of Archbishop George Pell.
“The petition is just to suggest, or ask, that Sydney be proposed for a possible host site for Youth Day,” Mr Suttie said. “It’s more of a suggestion, an
expression of enthusiasm.
“Basically it’s a way of raising the profile for World Youth Day for Sydneysiders.
“The petition has been presented to Archbishop Pell, who will be discussing it with
members of the Committee for the Laity, the Bishops’ Conference and the Congregation for the Laity in Rome.”
Since it was launched recently, the petition has attracted close to 2,000 signatures – largely
through the internet.
“The petition has grown over the web,” Mr Suttie said.
“We’ve been quite amazed with the response.
“We’ve had people signing on from all parts of Sydney – from the
Parramatta, Wollongong and Sydney dioceses, as well as Wilcannia-Forbes, Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth.
“We even had more than 30 people from Texas and some from New Zealand.
“We’ve been absolutely
staggered that in the limited time it’s been on the web it’s gone around like wildfire.”
World Youth Day was officially instituted in 1985 following spontaneous gatherings of more than 300,000 young Catholics
in Rome for the Jubilee Year of the Redemption – marking the 1950th anniversary of Christ’s death – and the UN International Year of Youth.
Since that time, World Youth Days have been celebrated every year,
with every second year being marked by an international gathering in a designated city.
World Youth Day has been celebrated only once in Oceania, in Manila in 1995.
Mr Suttie said that he thought
Sydney would be a brilliant location for World Youth Day 2004 or 2006.
“In Sydney we’re really enthusiastic and fired up. We’re an Olympic city and a city on the world stage,” he said. “Sydney is a great
city.
“It’s really good that we’re not in Europe or North America.
“The Catholic Church in Australia is relatively young.
“We have incredible natural beauty ... It would be a fantastic thing
for the Church in Australia and youth all around the world.”
Marita Franklin, spokesperson for the archbishop, said he was certainly interested in the possibility of bringing World Youth Day to Sydney.
“Work needs to be done if the proposal is to succeed,” she said. “It will need the strong support of young people, the clergy and the bishops, and also state and federal governments.”
The Pope will announce
the host city for World Youth Day 2004 during the celebrations in Toronto next year.
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