Biggest rally of young people

The
Catholic Weekly
Online

Sydney
7 December 2003

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Biggest rally of young people

Pope John Paul II greets cheering pilgrims at World Youth Day in Toronto in July last year. The pontiff was clearly energised by the enthusiasm of the thousands of young people who had gathered for the World Youth day welcoming ceremony in the Canadian city. Photo from CNS

By Marilyn Rodrigues

World Youth Day has become the largest single international mobilisation of young people the world has ever seen.

As such it requires a great deal of local support and organisation, even before an official bid is made to the Pontifical Council for the Laity, which is responsible for the festivals.

A feasibility committee was formed in Sydney in March this year to investigate the level of support among the Church community and from the Federal and NSW Governments, the attractiveness of Sydney as a venue, and logistical issues including venues, transport, accommodation and security.

Its findings were positive, and now it has secured the go-ahead from the Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference to make a bid.

The next step is to prepare formal submissions for the Prime Minister and NSW Premier by early 2004 to ascertain the level of their support before making a detailed submission to the Vatican by the middle of the year.

The feasibility committee has suggested that the event be held during the July school holidays, with key activities held at Sydney Olympic Park and Randwick Racecourse.

A registration fee of US$250 for overseas pilgrims and $A300 for local pilgrims could cover expected food and accommodation costs.

And the committee believes there could be 150,000 pilgrims.

This is a significantly smaller number than at other World Youth Days, but takes into account the greater distances and travel costs for overseas pilgrims.

World Youth Day is a six-day international celebration of young people aged 16-35 held every two or three years in a different country.

It usually begins on a Monday with registration of pilgrims, who are then invited to view exhibitions set up for vocations, missions, charities, community service, and social justice.

The opening Mass is usually on Tuesday.

From Wednesday to Friday, pilgrims attend catechesis in the morning and youth festivals in the afternoon and evening.

Pope John Paul II traditionally arrives on the Thursday and celebrates the closing Mass on the Sunday morning.

The week also includes a Stations of the Cross and pilgrimage walk on Friday and vigil Mass and sleep-out on Saturday night.

At World Youth Day in Toronto last year, the Pope asked 800,000 young people at the closing Mass to keep loving the Church and its ministers, despite the harm done by a minority of priests through abuse which “fills us all with a deep sense of sadness and shame”.

He also spoke of the hope of a new civilisation marked by freedom and peace which is the “aspiration that humanity nurtures, amid countless injustices and sufferings” and which is in the hands of today’s young people. Most of the pilgrims were from the US, followed by Canada, Italy, Spain, Germany and Mexico.

A record 2000 Australians attended.

The Pope has expressed his intention to attend World Youth Day 2005 in Cologne where organisers are planning to accommodate his limited mobility.