The Stations of the Cross are Performed in Sydney 20/07/2008
One of the most memorable events of the World Youth Day was when the Stations of the Cross were performed through the streets of Sydney. Spiritually moving for all involved, it was also physically gruelling for many of the performers, especially for Alfěo Stuto the 27 year old man who portrayed Jesus. During the event, he was dragged through the streets, hung upside down, and put on a cross. Sean had a chance to speak to him and Marina Dixon, also 27, who played Mary. '....
Pope Benedict leads a giant youth vigil at Sydney's Randwick Racecourse telling young pilgrims to 'believe in the power of the spirit of love'....
Pilgrims Give the Final Say on World Youth Day 2008 22/07/2008
Pope Benedict XVI is due to arrive in Rome’s Ciampino Airport later this evening, concluding journey to Sydney Australia for World Youth Day 2008. Emer McCarthy has taken a look back over a this 23rd world youth day, leaving the final word to those tens of thousands of pilgrims who have reached their journey’s end.
WYD Comes to and End in Australia 20/07/2008
World Youth Day 2008 has officially ended in Sydney, Australia. The final event was the concluding Mass, celebrated in front of 400,000 people in a ceremony where Pope Benedict XVI celebrated the Sacrament of Confirmation for 24 young adults, 2 from each of the six Australian states, and 12 from around the world. At the end of the celebration, the Holy Father confirmed the site of the 2011 World Youth Day. Sean-Patrick Lovett has the details…
Holy Mass for the 23rd World Youth Day at Randwick Racecourse in Sydney. Homily of the Holy Father (excerpts) 20/07/2008
Dear Friends,
“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you” (Acts 1:8). We have seen this promise fulfilled! On the day of Pentecost, as we heard in the first reading, the Risen Lord, seated at the right hand of the Father, sent the Spirit upon the disciples gathered in the Upper Room. In the power of that Spirit, Peter and the Apostles went forth to preach the Gospel to the ends of the earth. In every age, and in every language, the Church throughout the world continues to proclaim the marvels of God and to call all nations and peoples to faith, hope and new life in Christ.
(…) I pray that this great assembly, which unites young people “from every nation under heaven” (cf. Acts 2:5), will be a new Upper Room. May the fire of God’s love descend to fill your hearts, unite you ever more fully to the Lord and his Church, and send you forth, a new generation of apostles, to bring the world to Christ!
(…) At each Mass, in fact, the Holy Spirit descends anew, invoked by the solemn prayer of the Church, not only to transform our gifts of bread and wine into the Lord’s body and blood, but also to transform our lives, to make us, in his power, “one body, one spirit in Christ”.
But what is this “power” of the Holy Spirit? It is the power of God’s life! It is the power of the same Spirit who hovered over the waters at the dawn of creation and who, in the fullness of time, raised Jesus from the dead. It is the power which points us, and our world, towards the coming of the Kingdom of God. In today’s Gospel, Jesus proclaims that a new age has begun, in which the Holy Spirit will be poured out upon all humanity (cf. Lk 4:21). He himself, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin May, came among us to bring us that Spirit. As the source of our new life in Christ, the Holy Spirit is also, in a very real way, the soul of the Church, the love which binds us to the Lord and one another, and the light which opens our eyes to see all around us the wonders of God’s grace.
Here in Australia, this “great south land of the Holy Spirit”, all of us have had an unforgettable experience of the Spirit’s presence and power in the beauty of nature. (…) Here too, in this great assembly of young Christians from all over the world, we have had a vivid experience of the Spirit’s presence and power in the life of the Church. We have seen the Church for what she truly is: the Body of Christ, a living community of love, embracing people of every race, nation and tongue, of every time and place, in the unity born of our faith in the Risen Lord.
The power of the Spirit never ceases to fill the Church with life! (…)
Yet this power, the grace of the Spirit, is not something we can merit or achieve, but only receive as pure gift. God’s love can only unleash its power when it is allowed to change us from within. We have to let it break through the hard crust of our indifference, our spiritual weariness, our blind conformity to the spirit of this age. Only then can we let it ignite our imagination and shape our deepest desires. That is why prayer is so important: daily prayer, private prayer in the quiet of our hearts and before the Blessed Sacrament, and liturgical prayer in the heart of the Church. Prayer is pure receptivity to God’s grace, love in action, communion with the Spirit who dwells within us, leading us, through Jesus, in the Church, to our heavenly Father. In the power of his Spirit, Jesus is always present in our hearts, quietly waiting for us to be still with him, to hear his voice, to abide in his love, and to receive “power from on high”, enabling us to be salt and light for our world.
(…) Dear young people, let me now ask you a question. What will you leave to the next generation? Are you building your lives on firm foundations, building something that will endure? Are you living your lives in a way that opens up space for the Spirit in the midst of a world that wants to forget God, or even rejects him in the name of a falsely-conceived freedom? How are you using the gifts you have been given, the “power” which the Holy Spirit is even now prepared to release within you? What legacy will you leave to young people yet to come? What difference will you make?
The power of the Holy Spirit does not only enlighten and console us. It also points us to the future, to the coming of God’s Kingdom. What a magnificent vision of a humanity redeemed and renewed we see in the new age promised by today’s Gospel! (…) The outpouring of Christ’s Spirit upon humanity is a pledge of hope and deliverance from everything that impoverishes us. It gives the blind new sight; it sets the downtrodden free, and it creates unity in and through diversity (cf. Lk 4:18-19; Is 61:1-2). This power can create a new world: it can “renew the face of the earth” (cf. Ps 104:30)!
Empowered by the Spirit, and drawing upon faith’s rich vision, a new generation of Christians is being called to help build a world in which God’s gift of life is welcomed, respected and cherished – not rejected, feared as a threat and destroyed. A new age in which love is not greedy or self-seeking, but pure, faithful and genuinely free, open to others, respectful of their dignity, seeking their good, radiating joy and beauty. A new age in which hope liberates us from the shallowness, apathy and self-absorption which deaden our souls and poison our relationships. Dear young friends, the Lord is asking you to be prophets of this new age, messengers of his love, drawing people to the Father and building a future of hope for all humanity.
The world needs this renewal! In so many of our societies, side by side with material prosperity, a spiritual desert is spreading: an interior emptiness, an unnamed fear, a quiet sense of despair. How many of our contemporaries have built broken and empty cisterns (cf. Jer 2:13) in a desperate search for meaning – the ultimate meaning that only love can give? This is the great and liberating gift which the Gospel brings: it reveals our dignity as men and women created in the image and likeness of God. It reveals humanity’s sublime calling, which is to find fulfilment in love. It discloses the truth about man and the truth about life.
The Church also needs this renewal! She needs your faith, your idealism and your generosity, so that she can always be young in the Spirit. (…) The Church especially needs the gifts of young people, all young people. She needs to grow in the power of the Spirit who even now gives joy to your youth and inspires you to serve the Lord with gladness. Open your hearts to that power! I address this plea in a special way to those of you whom the Lord is calling to the priesthood and the consecrated life. Do not be afraid to say “yes” to Jesus. (…)
In a few moments, we will celebrate the sacrament of Confirmation. The Holy Spirit will descend upon the confirmands; they will be “sealed” with the gift of the Spirit and sent forth to be Christ’s witnesses. What does it mean to receive the “seal” of the Holy Spirit? It means being indelibly marked, inalterably changed, a new creation. For those who have received this gift, nothing can ever be the same! Being “baptized” in the one Spirit (cf. 1 Cor 12:13) means being set on fire with the love of God. Being “given to drink” of the Spirit means being refreshed by the beauty of the Lord’s plan for us and for the world, and becoming in turn a source of spiritual refreshment for others. Being “sealed with the Spirit” means not being afraid to stand up for Christ, letting the truth of the Gospel permeate the way we see, think and act, as we work for the triumph of the civilization of love. (…)
The full text of the Holy Father's discourses are available on the Holy See's website: www.vatian.va, and in the vatican newspaper "L' Osservatore Romano"
Pope Beedict Meets with Troubled Youth 18/07/2008
Before watching the Way of the Cross in the streets of Sydney, Pope Benedict met for lunch with a small group of youth in Sydney for World Youth Day. He later met with young people participating in a rehabilitation programme in the city. Charles Collins has this report…
Meeting with a group of disadvantaged young people of the rehabilitation community of the University of Notre Dame in the Church of the Sacred Heart in Sydney. Discourse of the Holy Father (excerpts)
Dear Young Friends,
I am pleased to be with you at Darlinghurst today, and I warmly greet all those taking part in the “Alive” programme, as well as the staff who run it. I pray that you will all benefit from the assistance offered by the Archdiocese of Sydney’s Social Services Agency, and that the good work being done here will continue long into the future.
The name of the programme you are following prompts us to ask the question: what does it really mean to be “alive”, to live life to the full? This is what all of us want, especially when we are young, and it is what Christ wants for us. In fact, he said: “I have come that they may have life, and have it abundantly” (Jn 10:10). The most basic instinct of all living things is to stay alive, to grow, to flourish, and to pass on the gift of life to others. So it is only natural that we should ask how best to do this.
You might think that in today’s world, people are unlikely to start worshipping other gods. But sometimes people worship “other gods” without realizing it. False “gods”, whatever name, shape or form we give them, are nearly always associated with the worship of three things: material possessions, possessive love, or power. Let me explain what I mean.
Material possessions, in themselves, are good. We would not survive for long without money, clothing and shelter. We must eat in order to stay alive. Yet if we are greedy, if we refuse to share what we have with the hungry and the poor, then we make our possessions into a false god. How many voices in our materialist society tell us that happiness is to be found by acquiring as many possessions and luxuries as we can! But this is to make possessions into a false god. Instead of bringing life, they bring death.
Authentic love is obviously something good. Without it, life would hardly be worth living. It fulfils our deepest need, and when we love, we become most fully ourselves, most fully human. But how easily it can be made into a false god! People often think they are being loving when actually they are being possessive or manipulative. People sometimes treat others as objects to satisfy their own needs rather than as persons to be loved and cherished .This is worship of a false god. Instead of bringing life, it brings death.
The power God has given us to shape the world around us is obviously something good. Used properly and responsibly, it enables us to transform people’s lives. Every community needs good leaders. Yet how tempting it can be to grasp at power for its own sake, to seek to dominate others or to exploit the natural environment for selfish purposes! This is to make power into a false god. Instead of bringing life, it brings death.
The cult of material possessions, the cult of possessive love and the cult of power often lead people to attempt to “play God”: to try to seize total control, with no regard for the wisdom or the commandments that God has made known to us. This is the path that leads towards death. By contrast, worship of the one true God means recognizing in him the source of all goodness, entrusting ourselves to him, opening ourselves to the healing power of his grace and obeying his commandments: that is the way to choose life.
A vivid illustration of what it means to turn back from the path of death onto the path of life is found in a Gospel story that I am sure you all know well: the parable of the prodigal son. Many of you must have had personal experience of what that young man went through. Perhaps you have made choices that you now regret, choices that led you down a path which, however attractive it appeared at the time, only led you deeper into misery and abandonment. The choice to abuse drugs or alcohol, to engage in criminal activity or self-harm, may have seemed at the time to offer a way out of a difficult or confusing situation. You now know that, instead of bringing life, it brings death. I wish to acknowledge your courage in choosing to turn back onto the path of life, just like the young man in the parable. You have accepted help – from friends or family, from the staff who run the “Alive” programme: from people who care deeply for your well-being and happiness.
Dear friends, I see you as ambassadors of hope to others in similar situations. You can convince them of the need to choose the path of life and shun the path of death, because you speak from experience. All through the Gospels, it was those who had taken wrong turnings who were particularly loved by Jesus, because once they recognized their mistake, they were all the more open to his healing message. It was those who were willing to rebuild their lives who were most ready to listen to Jesus and become his disciples. You can follow in their footsteps, you too can grow particularly close to Jesus because you have chosen to turn back towards him. You can be sure that, just like the Father in the story of the prodigal son, Jesus welcomes you with open arms. He offers you unconditional love – and it is in loving friendship with him that the fullness of life is to be found.
I mentioned earlier that when we love we are fulfilling our deepest need and becoming most fully ourselves, most fully human. Loving is what we are programmed to do, what we were designed for by our Creator. Naturally, I am not talking about fleeting, shallow relationships, I am talking about real love, the very heart of Jesus’ moral teaching: “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength” and “You must love your neighbour as yourself” (cf. Mk 12:30-31). That is what human beings are called to do, that is what it means to be truly alive.
In the power of the Holy Spirit, choose life and choose love, and bear witness before the world to the joy that it brings. That is my prayer for each one of you this World Youth Day. May God bless you all.
The full text of the Holy Father's discourses are available on the Holy See's website:www.vatian.va, and in the vatican newspaper "L' Osservatore Romano"
Vigil with the young people at Randwick Racecourse in Sydney. Discourse of the Holy Father (excerpts) 19/07/2008
Dear Young People,
Once again this evening we have heard Christ’s great promise – “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you”. And we have heard his summons – “be my witnesses throughout the world” – (Acts 1:8). These were the very last words which Jesus spoke before his Ascension into heaven.
Tonight we focus our attention on how to become witnesses. We need to understand the person of the Holy Spirit and his vivifying presence in our lives. This is not easy to comprehend.
You are already well aware that our Christian witness is offered to a world which in many ways is fragile. The unity of God’s creation is weakened by wounds which run particularly deep when social relations break apart, or when the human spirit is all but crushed through the exploitation and abuse of persons. Indeed, society today is being fragmented by a way of thinking that is inherently short-sighted, because it disregards the full horizon of truth– the truth about God and about us. By its nature, relativism fails to see the whole picture. It ignores the very principles which enable us to live and flourish in unity, order and harmony.
Unity and reconciliation cannot be achieved through our efforts alone. God has made us for one another (cf. Gen 2:24) and only in God and his Church can we find the unity we seek. Yet, in the face of imperfections and disappointments – both individual and institutional – we are sometimes tempted to construct artificially a “perfect” community. That temptation is not new. The history of the Church includes many examples of attempts to bypass or override human weaknesses or failures in order to create a perfect unity, a spiritual utopia.
Such attempts to construct unity in fact undermine it! To separate the Holy Spirit from Christ present in the Church’s institutional structure would compromise the unity of the Christian community, which is precisely the Spirit’s gift! Unfortunately the temptation to “go it alone” persists. Some today portray their local community as somehow separate from the so-called institutional Church, by speaking of the former as flexible and open to the Spirit and the latter as rigid and devoid of the Spirit.
Unity is of the essence of the Church (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 813); it is a gift we must recognize and cherish. Tonight, let us pray for the resolve to nurture unity: contribute to it! resist any temptation to walk away! For it is precisely the comprehensiveness, the vast vision, of our faith – solid yet open, consistent yet dynamic, true yet constantly growing in insight – that we can offer our world. Be watchful! Listen! Through the dissonance and division of our world, can you hear the concordant voice of humanity? From the forlorn child in a Darfur camp, or a troubled teenager, or an anxious parent in any suburb, or perhaps even now from the depth of your own heart, there emerges the same human cry for recognition, for belonging, for unity. Who satisfies that essential human yearning to be one, to be immersed in communion, to be built up, to be led to truth? The Holy Spirit! This is the Spirit’s role: to bring Christ’s work to fulfilment. Enriched with the Spirit’s gifts, you will have the power to move beyond the piecemeal, the hollow utopia, the fleeting, to offer the consistency and certainty of Christian witness!
In all these ways the Spirit is the “giver of life”, leading us into the very heart of God. So, the more we allow the Spirit to direct us, the more perfect will be our configuration to Christ and the deeper our immersion in the life of the Triune God.
This sharing in God’s nature (cf. 2 Pet 1:4) occurs in the unfolding of the everyday moments of our lives where he is always present (cf. Bar 3:38). There are times, however, when we might be tempted to seek a certain fulfilment apart from God. To turn away from him is only a futile attempt to escape from ourselves (cf. Saint Augustine, Confessions VIII, 7). God is with us in the reality of life, not the fantasy! It is embrace, not escape, that we seek! So the Holy Spirit gently but surely steers us back to what is real, what is lasting, what is true. It is the Spirit who leads us back into the communion of the Blessed Trinity!
The Holy Spirit has been in some ways the neglected person of the Blessed Trinity. A clear understanding of the Spirit almost seems beyond our reach. Yet, when I was a small boy, my parents, like yours, taught me the Sign of the Cross. So, I soon came to realize that there is one God in three Persons, and that the Trinity is the centre of our Christian faith and life. While I grew up to have some understanding of God the Father and the Son – the names already conveyed much – my understanding of the third person of the Trinity remained incomplete. So, as a young priest teaching theology, I decided to study the outstanding witnesses to the Spirit in the Church’s history. It was on this journey that I found myself reading, among others, the great Saint Augustine.
Yet his experience of the love of God present in the Church led him to investigate its source in the life of the Triune God. This led him to three particular insights about the Holy Spirit as the bond of unity within the Blessed Trinity: unity as communion, unity as abiding love, and unity as giving and gift. These three insights are not just theoretical. They help explain how the Spirit works. In a world where both individuals and communities often suffer from an absence of unity or cohesion, these insights help us remain attuned to the Spirit and to extend and clarify the scope of our witness.
So, with Augustine’s help, let us illustrate something of the Holy Spirit’s work. He noted that the two words “Holy” and “Spirit” refer to what is divine about God; in other words what is shared by the Father and the Son – their communion. So, if the distinguishing characteristic of the Holy Spirit is to be what is shared by the Father and the Son, Augustine concluded that the Spirit’s particular quality is unity. It is a unity of lived communion: a unity of persons in a relationship of constant giving, the Father and the Son giving themselves to each other. True unity could never be founded upon relationships which deny the equal dignity of other persons. Nor is unity simply the sum total of the groups through which we sometimes attempt to “define” ourselves.
Augustine’s second insight – the Holy Spirit as abiding love – comes from his study of the First Letter of Saint John. John tells us that “God is love” (1 Jn 4:16). Augustine suggests that while these words refer to the Trinity as a whole they express a particular characteristic of the Holy Spirit. Reflecting on the lasting nature of love - “whoever abides in love remains in God and God in him” (ibid.) - he wondered: is it love or the Holy Spirit which grants the abiding? This is the conclusion he reaches: “The Holy Spirit makes us remain in God and God in us; yet it is love that effects this. The Spirit therefore is God as love!” (De Trinitate, 15.17.31). It is a beautiful explanation: God shares himself as love in the Holy Spirit. Again, dear friends, we catch a further glimpse of how much the Holy Spirit offers our world: love which dispels uncertainty; love which overcomes the fear of betrayal; love which carries eternity within; the true love which draws us into a unity that abides!
The third insight – the Holy Spirit as gift – Augustine derived from meditating on a Gospel passage we all know and love: Christ’s conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well. Here Jesus reveals himself as the giver of the living water (cf. Jn 4:10) which later is explained as the Holy Spirit (cf. Jn 7:39; 1 Cor 12:13). The Spirit is “God’s gift” (Jn 4:10) - the internal spring (cf. Jn 4:14), who truly satisfies our deepest thirst and leads us to the Father. From this observation Augustine concludes that God sharing himself with us as gift is the Holy Spirit (cf. De Trinitate, 15, 18, 32). Friends, again we catch a glimpse of the Trinity at work: the Holy Spirit is God eternally giving himself; like a never-ending spring he pours forth nothing less than himself. Samaritan woman, let us exclaim: give me this water that I may thirst no more! (cf. Jn 4:15).
Dear young people, we have seen that it is the Holy Spirit who brings about the wonderful communion of believers in Jesus Christ. True to his nature as giver and gift alike, he is even now working through you. Inspired by the insights of Saint Augustine: let unifying love be your measure; abiding love your challenge; self-giving love your mission!
Tomorrow, that same gift of the Spirit will be solemnly conferred upon our confirmation candidates. I shall pray: “give them the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of right judgement and courage, the spirit of knowledge and reverence … and fill them with the spirit of wonder and awe”. What constitutes our faith is not primarily what we do but what we receive. After all, many generous people who are not Christian may well achieve far more than we do. Friends, do you accept being drawn into God’s Trinitarian life? Do you accept being drawn into his communion of love?
The Spirit’s gifts working within us give direction and definition to our witness. Directed to unity, the gifts of the Spirit bind us more closely to the whole Body of Christ (cf. Lumen Gentium, 11), equipping us better to build up the Church in order to serve the world (cf. Eph 4:13). They call us to active and joyful participation in the life of the Church: in parishes and ecclesial movements, in religious education classes, in university chaplaincies and other catholic organizations.
I am filled with deep joy to be with you. Let us invoke the Holy Spirit: he is the artisan of God’s works (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 741). Let his gifts shape you! Just as the Church travels the same journey with all humanity, so too you are called to exercise the Spirit’s gifts amidst the ups and downs of your daily life. Let your faith mature through your studies, work, sport, music and art. Let it be sustained by prayer and nurtured by the sacraments, and thus be a source of inspiration and help to those around you. In the end, life is not about accumulation. It is much more than success. To be truly alive is to be transformed from within, open to the energy of God’s love. In accepting the power of the Holy Spirit you too can transform your families, communities and nations. Set free the gifts! Let wisdom, courage, awe and reverence be the marks of greatness!
The full text of the Holy Father's discourses are available on the Holy See's website:www.vatian.va, and in the vatican newspaper "L' Osservatore Romano"
Holy Mass with the Australian Bishops, seminarians and novices (with the Consecration of the new altar) at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney. Homily of the Holy Father (excerpts) 19/07/2008
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
In this noble cathedral I rejoice to greet my brother Bishops and priests, and the deacons, religious and laity of the Archdiocese of Sydney. In a very special way, my greeting goes to the seminarians and young religious who are present among us, (…) they will have the task of building up the Lord’s house in the coming generation. (…) H ow can we not think of all those ranks of priests, religious and faithful laity who, each in his or her own way, contributed to the building up of the Church in Australia? Our thoughts turn in particular to those settler families to whom Father Jeremiah O’Flynn entrusted the Blessed Sacrament at his departure, a “small flock” which cherished and preserved that precious treasure, passing it on to the succeeding generations who raised this great tabernacle to the glory of God. Let us rejoice in their fidelity and perseverance, and dedicate ourselves to carrying on their labours for the spread of the Gospel, the conversion of hearts and the growth of the Church in holiness, unity and charity!
We are about to celebrate the dedication of the new altar of this venerable cathedral. As its sculpted frontal powerfully reminds us, every altar is a symbol of Jesus Christ, present in the midst of his Church as priest, altar and victim (cf. Preface of Easter V). (…)
In today’s liturgy the Church reminds us that, like this altar, we too have been consecrated, set “apart” for the service of God and the building up of his Kingdom. All too often, however, we find ourselves immersed in a world that would set God “aside”. In the name of human freedom and autonomy, God’s name is passed over in silence, religion is reduced to private devotion, and faith is shunned in the public square. At times this mentality, so completely at odds with the core of the Gospel, can even cloud our own understanding of the Church and her mission. We too can be tempted to make the life of faith a matter of mere sentiment, thus blunting its power to inspire a consistent vision of the world and a rigorous dialogue with the many other visions competing for the minds and hearts of our contemporaries.
Yet history, including the history of our own time, shows that the question of God will never be silenced, and that indifference to the religious dimension of human existence ultimately diminishes and betrays man himself. (…) Wherever man is diminished, the world around us is also diminished; it loses its ultimate meaning and strays from its goal. What emerges is a culture, not of life, but of death. How could this be considered “progress”? It is a backward step, a form of regression which ultimately dries up the very sources of life for individuals and all of society.
We know that in the end – as Saint Ignatius of Loyola saw so clearly – the only real “standard” against which all human reality can be measured is the Cross and its message of an unmerited love which triumphs over evil, sin and death, creating new life and unfading joy. The Cross reveals that we find ourselves only by giving our lives away, receiving God’s love as an unmerited gift and working to draw all men and women into the beauty of that love and the light of the truth which alone brings salvation to the world.
(…) Yet how difficult is this path of consecration! It demands continual “conversion”, a sacrificial death to self which is the condition for belonging fully to God, a change of mind and heart which brings true freedom and a new breadth of vision. (…) All these rites invite us to re-live our own consecration in Baptism. They invite us to reject sin and its false allure, and to drink ever more deeply from the life-giving springs of God’s grace.
Dear friends, may this celebration, in the presence of the Successor of Peter, be a moment of rededication and renewal for the whole Church in Australia! Here I would like to pause to acknowledge the shame which we have all felt as a result of the sexual abuse of minors by some clergy and religious in this country. These misdeeds, which constitute so grave a betrayal of trust, deserve unequivocal condemnation. They have caused great pain and have damaged the Church’s witness. I ask all of you to support and assist your Bishops, and to work together with them in combating this evil. Victims should receive compassion and care, and those responsible for these evils must be brought to justice. It is an urgent priority to promote a safer and more wholesome environment, especially for young people. In these days, (…) as the Church in Australia continues, in the spirit of the Gospel, to address effectively this serious pastoral challenge, I join you in praying that this time of purification will bring about healing, reconciliation and ever greater fidelity to the moral demands of the Gospel.
I wish now to turn to the seminarians and young religious in our midst, with a special word of affection and encouragement. Dear friends: with great generosity you have set out on a particular path of consecration, grounded in your Baptism and undertaken in response to the Lord’s personal call (…)
In today’s Gospel, the Lord calls us to “believe in the light” (Jn 12:36). These words have a special meaning for you, dear young seminarians and religious. They are a summons to trust in the truth of God’s word and to hope firmly in his promises. (…) Do not be afraid! Believe in the light! Take to heart the truth which we have heard in today’s second reading: “Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today and for ever” (Heb 13:8). The light of Easter continues to dispel the darkness!
The Lord also calls us to walk in the light (cf. Jn 12:35). Each of you has embarked on the greatest and the most glorious of all struggles, to be consecrated in truth, to grow in virtue, to achieve harmony between your thoughts and ideals, and your words and actions. Enter sincerely and deeply into the discipline and spirit of your programmes of formation. Walk in Christ’s light daily through fidelity to personal and liturgical prayer, nourished by meditation on the inspired word of God. The Fathers of the Church loved to see the Scriptures as a spiritual Eden, a garden where we can walk freely with God, admiring the beauty and harmony of his saving plan as it bears fruit in our own lives, in the life of the Church and in all of history. Let prayer, then, and meditation on God’s word, be the lamp which illumines, purifies and guides your steps along the path which the Lord has marked out for you. Make the daily celebration of the Eucharist the centre of your life.
(…) By embracing the Lord’s call to follow him in chastity, poverty and obedience, you have begun a journey of radical discipleship which will make you “signs of contradiction” (cf. Lk 2:34) to many of your contemporaries.
(…) Let us ask Mary, Help of Christians, to sustain the Church in Australia in fidelity to that grace by which the Crucified Lord even now “draws to himself” all creation and every human heart (cf. Jn 12:32). May the power of his Holy Spirit consecrate the faithful of this land in truth, and bring forth abundant fruits of holiness and justice for the redemption of the world. May it guide all humanity into the fullness of life around that Altar, where, in the glory of the heavenly liturgy, we are called to sing God’s praises for ever. Amen.
The full text of the Holy Father's discourses are available on the Holy See's website: www.vatian.va, and in the vatican newspaper "L' Osservatore Romano"
Pope Benedict Says He is "Deeply Sorry" for Clerical Abuse 19/07/2008
Pope Benedict XVI said he was deeply sorry for clerical abuse in Australia. We spoke to Sean-Patrick Lovett about the impact of his remarks...
FAITH IN ACTION 19/07/2008
An exhibition by Caritas Internationalis reminds young visitors to World Youth Day about the importance of practical Christian commitment...
Pope to young people: let the Spirit mould you, to become truly alive 19/07/2008
07/19/2008 15:48
VATICAN - WYD Pope to young people: let the Spirit mould you, to become truly alive
Benedict XVI ignites the 250,000 young people gathered for the vigil at the Randwick racecourse. Faith in Christ and in the Church challenge fear, consumerism, and careerism. The complete text of the pope's message.
Sydney (AN) - In the Sydney night, illuminated by the constellation of the Southern Cross, Benedict XVI proposed to the 250,000 young people gathered at the Randwick racecourse that their lives be "transformed from within", so that all society may be transformed. A demanding programme that includes the rejection of violence, drugs, consumerism, careerism, in order to grow in love and responsibility. In order to do this, it is necessary to ask constantly for the gift of the Spirit, as at the vigil, using symbols, songs, testimonies, the words of the pontiff, to conclude with the Eucharistic adoration and prayers that will continue through the night.
At the end of his homily (which we publish below in its entirety), the pontiff gave greetings in various languages, including Chinese ("Dear Chinese young people, how are you? The blessing of God be upon you!").
At the beginning of the vigil, in total darkness, a young aborigine woman lit a torch, and then extended it to light the torches of twelve young people, who in turn went to pass the flame through the entire assembly and among the bishops. Seven young people - including one from Thailand - gave witness and invoked the Holy Spirit. After the pope's homily, there was the presentation of the 24 candidates who tomorrow will receive the sacrament of confirmation during the concluding Mass: fourteen are Australian, while the other ten are from various countries: two are from Europe, and the others from South Africa, Vietnam, the United States, Uruguay, Fiji, and Oceania.
The young people will spend the whole night at the stadium, using sleeping bags and hot beverages to combat the cold of the Australian winter. Tomorrow there will be the announcement of the city where the next WYD will be held.
Here is the complete text of the pope's homily:
Dear Young People,
Once again this evening we have heard Christ’s great promise - "you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you". And we have heard his summons - "be my witnesses throughout the world" (Acts 1:8). These were the very last words which Jesus spoke before his Ascension into heaven. How the Apostles felt upon hearing them, we can only imagine. But we do know that their deep love for Jesus, and their trust in his word, prompted them to gather and to wait; to wait not aimlessly, but together, united in prayer, with the women and Mary in the Upper Room (cf. Acts 1:14). Tonight, we do the same. Gathered before our much-travelled Cross and the icon of Mary, and under the magnificent constellation of the Southern Cross, we pray. Tonight, I am praying for you and for young people throughout the world. Be inspired by the example of your Patrons! Accept into your hearts and minds the sevenfold gift of the Holy Spirit! Recognize and believe in the power of the Spirit in your lives!
The other day we talked of the unity and harmony of God’s creation and our place within it. We recalled how in the great gift of baptism we, who are made in God’s image and likeness, have been reborn, we have become God’s adopted children, a new creation. And so it is as children of Christ’s light – symbolized by the lit candles you now hold - that we bear witness in our world to the radiance no darkness can overcome (cf. Jn 1:5).
Tonight we focus our attention on how to become witnesses. We need to understand the person of the Holy Spirit and his vivifying presence in our lives. This is not easy to comprehend. Indeed the variety of images found in scripture referring to the Spirit - wind, fire, breath - indicate our struggle to articulate an understanding of him. Yet we do know that it is the Holy Spirit who, though silent and unseen, gives direction and definition to our witness to Jesus Christ.
You are already well aware that our Christian witness is offered to a world which in many ways is fragile. The unity of God’s creation is weakened by wounds which run particularly deep when social relations break apart, or when the human spirit is all but crushed through the exploitation and abuse of persons. Indeed, society today is being fragmented by a way of thinking that is inherently short-sighted, because it disregards the full horizon of truth - the truth about God and about us. By its nature, relativism fails to see the whole picture. It ignores the very principles which enable us to live and flourish in unity, order and harmony.
What is our response, as Christian witnesses, to a divided and fragmented world? How can we offer the hope of peace, healing and harmony to those "stations" of conflict, suffering, and tension through which you have chosen to march with this World Youth Day Cross? Unity and reconciliation cannot be achieved through our efforts alone. God has made us for one another (cf. Gen 2:24) and only in God and his Church can we find the unity we seek. Yet, in the face of imperfections and disappointments - both individual and institutional - we are sometimes tempted to construct artificially a "perfect" community. That temptation is not new. The history of the Church includes many examples of attempts to bypass or override human weaknesses or failures in order to create a perfect unity, a spiritual utopia.
Such attempts to construct unity in fact undermine it! To separate the Holy Spirit from Christ present in the Church’s institutional structure would compromise the unity of the Christian community, which is precisely the Spirit’s gift! It would betray the nature of the Church as the living temple of the Holy Spirit (cf. 1 Cor 3:16). It is the Spirit, in fact, who guides the Church in the way of all truth and unifies her in communion and in the works of ministry (cf. Lumen Gentium, 4). Unfortunately the temptation to "go it alone" persists. Some today portray their local community as somehow separate from the so-called institutional Church, by speaking of the former as flexible and open to the Spirit and the latter as rigid and devoid of the Spirit.
Unity is of the essence of the Church (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 813); it is a gift we must recognize and cherish. Tonight, let us pray for the resolve to nurture unity: contribute to it! resist any temptation to walk away! For it is precisely the comprehensiveness, the vast vision, of our faith - solid yet open, consistent yet dynamic, true yet constantly growing in insight - that we can offer our world. Dear young people, is it not because of your faith that friends in difficulty or seeking meaning in their lives have turned to you? Be watchful! Listen! Through the dissonance and division of our world, can you hear the concordant voice of humanity? From the forlorn child in a Darfur camp, or a troubled teenager, or an anxious parent in any suburb, or perhaps even now from the depth of your own heart, there emerges the same human cry for recognition, for belonging, for unity. Who satisfies that essential human yearning to be one, to be immersed in communion, to be built up, to be led to truth? The Holy Spirit! This is the Spirit’s role: to bring Christ’s work to fulfilment. Enriched with the Spirit’s gifts, you will have the power to move beyond the piecemeal, the hollow utopia, the fleeting, to offer the consistency and certainty of Christian witness!
Friends, when reciting the Creed we state: "We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life". The "Creator Spirit" is the power of God giving life to all creation and the source of new and abundant life in Christ. The Spirit sustains the Church in union with the Lord and in fidelity to the apostolic Tradition. He inspired the Sacred Scriptures and he guides God’s People into the fullness of truth (cf. Jn 16:13) In all these ways the Spirit is the "giver of life", leading us into the very heart of God. So, the more we allow the Spirit to direct us, the more perfect will be our configuration to Christ and the deeper our immersion in the life of the Triune God.
This sharing in God’s nature (cf. 2 Pet 1:4) occurs in the unfolding of the everyday moments of our lives where he is always present (cf. Bar 3:38). There are times, however, when we might be tempted to seek a certain fulfilment apart from God. Jesus himself asked the Twelve: "do you also wish to go away?" Such drifting away perhaps offers the illusion of freedom. But where does it lead? To whom would we go? For in our hearts we know that it is the Lord who has "the words of eternal life" (Jn 6:67-68). To turn away from him is only a futile attempt to escape from ourselves (cf. Saint Augustine, Confessions VIII, 7). God is with us in the reality of life, not the fantasy! It is embrace, not escape, that we seek! So the Holy Spirit gently but surely steers us back to what is real, what is lasting, what is true. It is the Spirit who leads us back into the communion of the Blessed Trinity!
The Holy Spirit has been in some ways the neglected person of the Blessed Trinity. A clear understanding of the Spirit almost seems beyond our reach. Yet, when I was a small boy, my parents, like yours, taught me the Sign of the Cross. So, I soon came to realize that there is one God in three Persons, and that the Trinity is the centre of our Christian faith and life. While I grew up to have some understanding of God the Father and the Son - the names already conveyed much - my understanding of the third person of the Trinity remained incomplete. So, as a young priest teaching theology, I decided to study the outstanding witnesses to the Spirit in the Church’s history. It was on this journey that I found myself reading, among others, the great Saint Augustine.
Augustine’s understanding of the Holy Spirit evolved gradually; it was a struggle. As a young man he had followed Manichaeism - one of those attempts I mentioned earlier, to create a spiritual utopia by radically separating the things of the spirit from the things of the flesh. Hence he was at first suspicious of the Christian teaching that God had become man. Yet his experience of the love of God present in the Church led him to investigate its source in the life of the Triune God. This led him to three particular insights about the Holy Spirit as the bond of unity within the Blessed Trinity: unity as communion, unity as abiding love, and unity as giving and gift. These three insights are not just theoretical. They help explain how the Spirit works. In a world where both individuals and communities often suffer from an absence of unity or cohesion, these insights help us remain attuned to the Spirit and to extend and clarify the scope of our witness.
So, with Augustine’s help, let us illustrate something of the Holy Spirit’s work. He noted that the two words "Holy" and "Spirit" refer to what is divine about God; in other words what is shared by the Father and the Son - their communion. So, if the distinguishing characteristic of the Holy Spirit is to be what is shared by the Father and the Son, Augustine concluded that the Spirit’s particular quality is unity. It is a unity of lived communion: a unity of persons in a relationship of constant giving, the Father and the Son giving themselves to each other. We begin to glimpse, I think, how illuminating is this understanding of the Holy Spirit as unity, as communion. True unity could never be founded upon relationships which deny the equal dignity of other persons. Nor is unity simply the sum total of the groups through which we sometimes attempt to "define" ourselves. In fact, only in the life of communion is unity sustained and human identity fulfilled: we recognize the common need for God, we respond to the unifying presence of the Holy Spirit, and we give ourselves to one another in service.
Augustine’s second insight - the Holy Spirit as abiding love - comes from his study of the First Letter of Saint John. John tells us that "God is love" (1 Jn 4:16). Augustine suggests that while these words refer to the Trinity as a whole they express a particular characteristic of the Holy Spirit. Reflecting on the lasting nature of love - "whoever abides in love remains in God and God in him" (ibid.) - he wondered: is it love or the Holy Spirit which grants the abiding? This is the conclusion he reaches: "The Holy Spirit makes us remain in God and God in us; yet it is love that effects this. The Spirit therefore is God as love!" (De Trinitate, 15.17.31). It is a beautiful explanation: God shares himself as love in the Holy Spirit. What further understanding might we gain from this insight? Love is the sign of the presence of the Holy Spirit! Ideas or voices which lack love - even if they seem sophisticated or knowledgeable - cannot be "of the Spirit". Furthermore, love has a particular trait: far from being indulgent or fickle, it has a task or purpose to fulfil: to abide. By its nature love is enduring. Again, dear friends, we catch a further glimpse of how much the Holy Spirit offers our world: love which dispels uncertainty; love which overcomes the fear of betrayal; love which carries eternity within; the true love which draws us into a unity that abides!
The third insight - the Holy Spirit as gift - Augustine derived from meditating on a Gospel passage we all know and love: Christ’s conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well. Here Jesus reveals himself as the giver of the living water (cf. Jn 4:10) which later is explained as the Holy Spirit (cf. Jn 7:39; 1 Cor 12:13). The Spirit is "God’s gift" (Jn 4:10) - the internal spring (cf. Jn 4:14), who truly satisfies our deepest thirst and leads us to the Father. From this observation Augustine concludes that God sharing himself with us as gift is the Holy Spirit (cf. De Trinitate, 15, 18, 32). Friends, again we catch a glimpse of the Trinity at work: the Holy Spirit is God eternally giving himself; like a never-ending spring he pours forth nothing less than himself. In view of this ceaseless gift, we come to see the limitations of all that perishes, the folly of the consumerist mindset. We begin to understand why the quest for novelty leaves us unsatisfied and wanting. Are we not looking for an eternal gift? The spring that will never run dry? With the Samaritan woman, let us exclaim: give me this water that I may thirst no more! (cf. Jn 4:15).
Dear young people, we have seen that it is the Holy Spirit who brings about the wonderful communion of believers in Jesus Christ. True to his nature as giver and gift alike, he is even now working through you. Inspired by the insights of Saint Augustine: let unifying love be your measure; abiding love your challenge; self-giving love your mission!
Tomorrow, that same gift of the Spirit will be solemnly conferred upon our confirmation candidates. I shall pray: "give them the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of right judgement and courage, the spirit of knowledge and reverence … and fill them with the spirit of wonder and awe". These gifts of the Spirit - each of which, as Saint Francis de Sales reminds us, is a way to participate in the one love of God - are neither prizes nor rewards. They are freely given (cf. 1 Cor 12:11). And they require only one response on the part of the receiver: I accept! Here we sense something of the deep mystery of being Christian. What constitutes our faith is not primarily what we do but what we receive. After all, many generous people who are not Christian may well achieve far more than we do. Friends, do you accept being drawn into God’s Trinitarian life? Do you accept being drawn into his communion of love?
The Spirit’s gifts working within us give direction and definition to our witness. Directed to unity, the gifts of the Spirit bind us more closely to the whole Body of Christ (cf. Lumen Gentium, 11), equipping us better to build up the Church in order to serve the world (cf. Eph 4:13). They call us to active and joyful participation in the life of the Church: in parishes and ecclesial movements, in religious education classes, in university chaplaincies and other Catholic organizations. Yes, the Church must grow in unity, must be strengthened in holiness, must be rejuvenated, must be constantly renewed (cf. Lumen Gentium, 4). But according to whose standard? The Holy Spirit’s! Turn to him, dear young people, and you will find the true meaning of renewal.
Tonight, gathered under the beauty of the night sky, our hearts and minds are filled with gratitude to God for the great gift of our Trinitarian faith. We recall our parents and grandparents who walked alongside us when we, as children, were taking our first steps in our pilgrim journey of faith. Now many years later, you have gathered as young adults with the Successor of Peter. I am filled with deep joy to be with you. Let us invoke the Holy Spirit: he is the artisan of God’s works (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 741). Let his gifts shape you! Just as the Church travels the same journey with all humanity, so too you are called to exercise the Spirit’s gifts amidst the ups and downs of your daily life. Let your faith mature through your studies, work, sport, music and art. Let it be sustained by prayer and nurtured by the sacraments, and thus be a source of inspiration and help to those around you. In the end, life is not about accumulation. It is much more than success. To be truly alive is to be transformed from within, open to the energy of God’s love. In accepting the power of the Holy Spirit you too can transform your families, communities and nations. Set free the gifts! Let wisdom, courage, awe and reverence be the marks of greatness!
Sydney and WYD wrapped in beauty and Via Crucis prayers 18/07/2008
The Stations of the Cross are placed across the city in front of the city’s better know monuments. One hundred young actors silently mime the Passion of Christ. Music and commentaries as well as symbols and lights guarantee the silent participation of 200,000 young people. The Pope follows the Way of the Cross in front of a TV screen in the crypt of the cathedral. The complete texts of the meditations are online.
Sydney (AN) – The three crosses of Calvary loom against the background of the bay, lit up by reflectors. Young actors, half-naked in the cold night of the Australian winter, have a focused gaze. The dark sea shrouds the scene like a surreal painting by Dalí or Velázquez. Hundreds of thousands of young people follow in silence the actors’ pantomime and the sound of commentaries; the choir highlighting the various moments with gospel songs, Gregorian chants and eastern mantras or music by Bach.
The WYD Via Crucis celebrated today in Sydney was a high quality artistic and religious performance that plunged the entire city in an atmosphere of meditation and participation. The production of such a simple Passion play but complex in terms of scene, sounds (or lack thereof), gestures, dances and lights was the work of a 60-year-old Italian-Australian clergyman, Fr Franco Cavarra, who came late to the priesthood but has a thespian past. He said that his intention was to show how contemporary the Passion of Christ is in the life of Sydney and everyone.
Hence the different Stations of the Cross were placed in various points in the city. The façade of the cathedral was the backdrop for the Last Supper; the Art Gallery became the Sanhedrin; the Opera House was Pilate’s court, Bangaroo Dock with Harbour Bridge in the background was Calvary.
The power of the symbols made the connection with our times immediate and eloquent. The Last Supper in the presence of the Pope hinted at the treasure that is the Eucharist, which the Church continues to live; a Jesus lashed with blood marks hung upside down represented modern torture victims; an Aborigine as the man from Cyrene forced to carry the cross told the story of colonial abuses.
Especially significant was the WYD Cross which has travelled from host city to host city since 1982 according to John Paul II’s will. Carried by a group of young people it preceded the actors, suggesting that young people are not spectators of Christ’s passion, but its actual protagonists.
The actors’ pantomime, the off-field commentaries and the slowly unfolding scenes, almost like pictures, gave the 200,000 or so young people an opportunity to silently see themselves in the play.
Just 100 young actors were needed to show how art can be free from the curse of emptiness and consumerism.
Only yesterday the Holy Father had said that “[o]ur world has grown weary of greed, exploitation and division, of the tedium of false idols and piecemeal responses, and the pain of false promises. Our hearts and minds are yearning for a vision of life where love endures, where gifts are shared, where unity is built, where freedom finds meaning in truth, and where identity is found in respectful communion.” This Via Crucis is a taste of the new vision of life.
In the Way of the Cross Benedict XVI took part in person to the first Station and then followed the play-prayer from a video outlet placed on top of the crypt in St Mary’s Cathedral.
For the texts of the Via Crucis, click on World Youth Day in Sydney Website (www.wyd2008.org): Stations of the Cross - Liturgy Guide Download -stations.pdf 775.06 kB
Bear witness to Christ in a world weary of false promises, Pope tells young people at WYD 17/07/2008
This is the first public meeting between Benedict XVI and 150,000 young people in Sydney. The pontiff, who arrived in the bay by boat, was greeted by Australian Aborigines. In his address he proposed the Christian faith as a cure for the “poison” caused by relativism which destroys and pollutes creation and reduces young people to mere consumers. He talked about the mission towards non-Christians.
Sydney (AN) – “Our world has grown weary of greed, exploitation and division, of the tedium of false idols and piecemeal responses, and the pain of false promises. Our hearts and minds are yearning for a vision of life where love endures, where gifts are shared, where unity is built, where freedom finds meaning in truth, and where identity is found in respectful communion. This is the work of the Holy Spirit! This is the hope held out by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is to bear witness to this reality that you were created anew at Baptism and strengthened through the gifts of the Spirit at Confirmation. Let this be the message that you bring from Sydney to the world!”
In his first public meeting with young people for World Youth day at Barangaroo Dock, Benedict XVI offered them not only the event’s programme but also that of a lifetime, i.e. to bear witness to the novelty of faith which a thirsty humanity seeks.
“Dear friends, in your homes, schools and universities, in your places of work and recreation, remember that you are a new creation! Not only do you stand before the Creator in awe, rejoicing at his works, you also realize that the sure foundation of humanity’s solidarity lies in the common origin of every person, the high-point of God’s creative design for the world. As Christians you stand in this world knowing that God has a human face—Jesus Christ—the "way" who satisfies all human yearning, and the "life" to which we are called to bear witness, walking always in his light.”
The Pope arrived in Barangaroo on board a ship called the ‘Sydney 2000’, surrounded by a group of young people, each wearing his or her national dress, as smaller boats created a path through the sea with jets of water and the sound of sirens; others followed.
In greeting the Pope, Card George Pell, archbishop of Sydney, said that Australia had not seen a welcome like this since the times of the first Catholic bishop.
Before he boarded the ship Benedict XVI was welcomed by Aborigines performing tribal dances and Aboriginal elders.
In the official greeting to the authorities, the Pope thanked the Australian government for its courage to ask the Aborigines for their forgiveness for the abuses suffered by their culture and people.
The crowd of 150,000 young that had taken part in the catechesis in the morning waited for Benedict XVI amid songs, dances and multicolour flags, much enthusiasm and amazing friendships, given the many geographical and cultural horizons they hailed from.
In speaking to the crowd of young people the Pope artfully touched every cord: a poetic accent for nature, creation and the wonder for its “apex”, man who is its keeper; a sombre and pained accent for social and environmental problems in which the “exaltation of violence and sexual degradation [is] often presented through television and the internet as entertainment;” the condemnation of relativism for lacking in truth and goodness, for putting God on “the sidelines”, for violating nature and holding human dignity in contempt; a comforting accent for young people who may be rudderless, telling them their life is loved and blessed by God, that it has a purpose.
The ecology of creation and the poison of relativism
Benedict XVI talked about his flight, referring to the “sparkle of the Mediterranean, the grandeur of the north African desert, the lushness of Asia’s forestation, the vastness of the Pacific Ocean, the horizon upon which the sun rose and set, and the majestic splendour of Australia’s natural beauty which I have been able to enjoy these last couple of days”. “At the heart of the marvel of creation,” he added, “are you and I, the human family [. . .], men and women, made in nothing less than God’s own image and likeness (cf Gen 1:26).)”.
But he also spoke about the “wounds” to the earth: “erosion, deforestation, the squandering of the world’s mineral and ocean resources in order to fuel an insatiable consumption;” nations threatened “by rising water levels (threatening some Polynesian islands); [. . .] nations suffering the effects of devastating drought.”
For the Pope there is “a poison which threatens to corrode what is good.” That “poison” is nurtured by relativism, the notion that there are no truths to guide our lives or that anything good exists, the exaltation of nihilism disguised as “freedom and tolerance”, the elimination of God from public life.
“When God is eclipsed, our ability to recognize the natural order, purpose, and the ‘good’ begins to wane,” Benedict XVI said. “What was ostensibly promoted as human ingenuity soon manifests itself as folly, greed and selfish exploitation.”
For the Pope relativism is guilty of marginalising the “poor and the elderly, immigrants and the voiceless,” domestic violence against “so many mothers and children”, the evil of abortion whereby “the most wondrous and sacred human space—the womb—has become a place of unutterable violence.”
“Life is not governed by chance; it is not random. Your very existence has been willed by God [. . .]. Do not be fooled by those who see you as just another consumer in a market of undifferentiated possibilities, where choice itself becomes the good, novelty usurps beauty, and subjective experience displaces truth. Christ offers more! Indeed he offers everything! Only he who is the Truth can be the Way and hence also the Life.”
Be a missionary towards those who do not believe
In calling on young people to make the commitment of bearing witness and recreating the world, Benedict XVI offers them the example of the missionaries who evangelised Australia.
“Today, we think of those pioneering Priests, Sisters and Brothers who came to these shores, and to other parts of the Pacific, from Ireland, France, Britain and elsewhere in Europe. The great majority were young—some still in their late teens—and when they bade farewell to their parents, brothers and sisters, and friends, they knew they were unlikely ever to return home. Their whole lives were a selfless Christian witness. They became the humble but tenacious builders of so much of the social and spiritual heritage which still today brings goodness, compassion and purpose to these nations. And they went on to inspire another generation.”
In his Message for Sydney’s World Youth Day the pontiff had urged young people to invite at least a friend. This concern for those who have no faith and are waiting to find meaning in life was also in the Pope’s words today.
“This evening I wish also to include those who are not present among us. I am thinking especially of the sick or mentally ill, young people in prison, those struggling on the margins of our societies, and those who for whatever reason feel alienated from the Church. To them I say: Jesus is close to you! Feel his healing embrace, his compassion and mercy!”
Likewise “a good number of you are still seeking a spiritual homeland. Some of you, most welcome among us, are not Catholic or Christian. Others of you perhaps hover at the edge of parish and Church life.”
Indeed Catholics but also Anglicans, Evangelicals, Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists were in the human tide that swept over Barangaroo Dock.
“To you,” said the Pope, “I wish to offer encouragement: step forward into Christ’s loving embrace; recognize the Church as your home.”
Welcome ceremony in Sydney. Discourse of the Holy Father (excerpts) 17/07/2008
Your Excellencies,
Dear Australian Friends,
It is with great joy that I greet you today. I would like to thank the Governor-General, Major-General Michael Jeffery and Prime Minister Rudd for honouring me by their presence at this ceremony and for welcoming me so graciously. As you know, I have been able to enjoy some quiet days since my arrival in Australia last Sunday. I am most grateful for the hospitality that has been extended to me. Now I look forward to this evening’s “Welcome to Country” by the indigenous people and to celebrating the great events which form the purpose of my Apostolic Visit: the Twenty-Third World Youth Day.
(…) Since the first World Youth Day in 1986, it has been evident that vast numbers of young people appreciate the opportunity to come together to deepen their faith in Christ and to share with one another a joyful experience of communion in his Church. (…) For me it is a joy to be with them, to pray with them and to celebrate the Eucharist with them. World Youth Day fills me with confidence for the future of the Church and the future of our world.
It seems particularly appropriate to celebrate World Youth Day here, since the Church in Australia, as well as being the youngest of any continent, is also one of the most cosmopolitan. Since the first European settlement here in the late eighteenth century, this country has become a home not only to generations of Europeans, but to people from every corner of the globe. The immense diversity of the Australian population today gives a particular vibrancy to what may still be considered, in comparison with much of the rest of the world, a young nation.
Yet for thousands of years before the arrival of Western settlers, the sole inhabitants of the land were indigenous peoples, the Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders. Their ancient heritage forms an essential part of the cultural landscape of modern Australia. Thanks to the Australian Government’s courageous decision to acknowledge the injustices committed against the indigenous peoples in the past, concrete steps are now being taken to achieve reconciliation based on mutual respect. Rightly, you are seeking to close the gap between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians regarding life expectancy, educational achievement and economic opportunity! This example of reconciliation offers hope to peoples all over the world who long to see their rights affirmed and their contribution to society acknowledged and promoted.
The settlers who came here from Europe have always included a significant proportion of Catholics, and we may be justly proud of the contribution they have made to the building up of the nation, particularly in the fields of education and healthcare. One of the most outstanding figures in this country’s history is Blessed Mary MacKillop, at whose tomb I shall pray later this morning. I know that her perseverance in the face of adversity, her plea for justice on behalf of those unfairly treated and her practical example of holiness have become a source of inspiration for all Australians. (…) In today’s more secular environment, the Catholic community continues to make an important contribution to national life, not only through education and healthcare, but especially by highlighting the spiritual dimension of the questions that feature prominently in contemporary debate.
With many thousands of young people visiting Australia at this time, it is appropriate to reflect upon the kind of world we are handing on to future generations. (…) The wonder of God’s creation reminds us of the need to protect the environment and to exercise responsible stewardship of the goods of the earth. In this connection I note that Australia is making a serious commitment to address its responsibility to care for the natural environment. Likewise with regard to the human environment, this country has generously supported international peace-keeping operations, contributing to conflict resolution in the Pacific, in South-East Asia and elsewhere. Owing to the many religious traditions represented in Australia, this is particularly fertile ground for ecumenical and interreligious dialogue. (…)
The theme chosen for World Youth Day 2008 is taken from words spoken by Jesus himself to his disciples, as recorded in the Acts of the Apostles: “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be my witnesses to the ends of the earth” (1:9). (…)
The full text of the Holy Father's discourses are available on the Holy See's website: www.vatian.va, and in the vatican newspaper "L' Osservatore Romano"
WYD '08 Begins, Pell to Youth: Christ is Calling you Home15/072008
In fact Cardinal Pell began his homily by welcoming everyone, everywhere who is lost, distressed, exhausted or without hope, to hear Christ welcoming them home:
“Young or old, woman or man, Christ is till calling those who are suffering to come to him for healing, as he has for two thousand years”, he told the candle lit congregation, adding that the causes of those wounds are ‘secondary’ be they “drugs or alcohol, family breakups, the lusts of the flesh, loneliness or death. Perhaps even the emptiness of success”.
Cardinal Pell pushed home the message that Christ’s call reaches out beyond boundaries and above all to those ‘lost sheep’ without a shepherd; “Christ’s call is to all who are suffering, not just to Catholics or Christians, but especially to those without religion. Christ is calling you home; to love healing and community”.
Comparing the drought of hope and faith in today’s overtired society to the devastating drought wracking large parts of Australia Cardinal Pell said we can never be without hope while we can still choose. “While there is life there is always the option of hope and with Christian hope come faith and love”.
“Secular wisdom”, he continued “claims that leopards do not change their spots, but we Christians believe in the power of the Spirit to convert and change persons away from evil to good; from fear and uncertainty to faith and hope”. ..
Pope Welcomes World Youth Day Pilgrims in Video Message
Sydney, Jul 15, 2008 (CNA).- Pope Benedict XVI, speaking in his video message to World Youth Day pilgrims shortly before the commencement of the event, said he looked forward to the upcoming opportunities for prayer and reflection with young people from around the world. Saying that the goals truly worth living for are found in Jesus Christ, he asked for prayers for the success of his mission and for the spiritual growth of World Youth Day pilgrims during their time in Australia, which he called the great “southern land of the Holy Spirit.”
The Pope thanked the Australian government and the government of New South Wales, the organizers of World Youth Day, and the event’s sponsors. He further expressed gratitude to those who are hosting pilgrims.
“Many of the young people have made great sacrifices in order to undertake the journey to Australia, and I pray that they will be rewarded abundantly,” he noted. “The parishes, schools and host families have been most generous in welcoming these young visitors, and they too deserve our thanks and our appreciation.”
Referencing the theme of World Youth Day, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you: and you will be my witnesses” (Acts 1:8), Pope Benedict said:
“How much our world needs a renewed outpouring of the Holy Spirit! There are still many who have not heard the Good News of Jesus Christ, while many others, for whatever reason, have not recognized in this Good News the saving truth that alone can satisfy the deepest longings of their hearts.
“It is my firm belief,” he continued, “that young people are called to be instruments of that renewal, communicating to their peers the joy they have experienced through knowing and following Christ, and sharing with others the love that the Spirit pours into their hearts, so that they too will be filled with hope and with thanksgiving for all the good things they have received from our heavenly Father.”
Pope Benedict said that many modern young people lack hope, being perplexed by the questions of a confusing world.
“They see poverty and injustice and they long to find solutions,” he explained. “They are challenged by the arguments of those who deny the existence of God and they wonder how to respond. They see great damage done to the natural environment through human greed and they struggle to find ways to live in greater harmony with nature and with one another.”
The answers to these challenges, the Pope said, are found when “the Spirit points us towards the way that leads to life, to love and to truth. The Spirit points us towards Jesus Christ.”
“In Him we find the answers that we are seeking, we find the goals that are truly worth living for, we find the strength to pursue the path that will bring about a better world.”
He then described his hopes and prayers for World Youth Day:
“My prayer is that the hearts of the young people who gather in Sydney for the celebration of World Youth Day will truly find rest in the Lord, and that they will be filled with joy and fervor for spreading the Good News among their friends, their families, and all whom they meet.”
Asking for prayers in support of his mission, Pope Benedict repeated his invitation to young people to join him in Australia.
WYD 2008 - Cardinal Pell asks the youth to be faithful
Cardinal Pell Celebrates World Youth Day Opening Mass with Over 140,000
Sydney, Jul 15, 2008 (CNA).- Prime Minister of Australia Kevin Rudd greeted pilgrims prior to the Mass, in several different languages. “You are here for this great celebration of life, this great celebration of faith and this great celebration of hope," said the Australian Prime Minister. "For this you are so much the light of the world at a time when the world has so much darkness."
Cardinal Pell presided over the opening Mass, which was the largest Mass to be hosted in Australia’s history, with 26 Cardinals, 400 bishops and approximately 4,000 priests.
In his homily Cardinal Pell called all to listen to Christ’s message saying, “Christ’s call is to all who are suffering, not just Catholics or other Christians, but especially to those without religion. Christ is calling you home; to love, healing and community.”
The Cardinal’s words are particularly relevant in Australia, where nearly one-third of its population does not identify with any religion.
Given this dearth of religion, Australia's top clergyman emphasized the opportunity for reform and reiterated the Pope’s message of hope.“While there is life there is always the option of hope and with Christian hope come faith and love.” “Our task is to be open to the power of the Spirit, to allow the God of suprises to act through us.”
“We must pray for an openness of heart, for a willingness to take the next step, even if we are fearful of venturing too much further,” said Cardinal Pell.
The congregation was awash with a sea of international pilgrims waving flags from over 170 countries.
Whilst traditional rituals were observed, the Mass was an exhibition of international collaboration, reflecting the global influence of the Catholic faith.
The first reading was read in Spanish, the second reading in French, the gospel acclamation was accompanied by youth from the Torres Strait Islands in the Pacific, and the Gospel was read in Italian. Each prayer of the faithful was also prayed in German, Sudanese, Polish, Vietnamese, Arabic as well as English.
As night covered the city of Sydney, a solemn air of reverence permeated the crowd as Communion was distributed by scores of Eucharistic ministers also all wearing their distinctive national attire.
Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko, President of the Pontifical Council of the Laity, delivered a message to the youth before the Mass ended, where he directly invited the pilgrims to rediscover the importance of the Holy Spirit in their lives.
“Your presence here has brought spring-time to Australia’s winter. You are the spring-time of the world and the Church,” he told the pilgrims.
The Mass ended with the World Youth Day 2008 hymn “Receive the Power,” sang with enthusiasm by the pilgrims present and lead by the 80 piece orchestra and 300 person WYD08 choir.
“It was amazing to see so many people coming together to worship God,” said Jake, an American pilgrim from Colarado.
“Unbelievable,” said Chris Suarez, a local pilgrim from Sydney. “A Mass of this magnitude within the heart of Sydney, just breath-taking.”
“The Mass was very emotive and vibrant,” said Magdalena, from Chile. “This was a wonderful welcome to begin the World Youth Day activities.”
The Opening Mass was followed by an outdoor concert with performances from popular local and international bands and artists.
Pope: communicate the joy of following Christ to young people uncertain and without hope
07/13/2008 In a video message broadcast on Australian television, Benedict XVI asks the young people of WYD to communicate faith in Jesus Christ to their peers. Gratitude to the Australian people for their generosity in hosting WYD. The pontiff arrived in Sydney at 3 p.m., and was welcomed by Kevin Rudd and Cardinal Pell.
Sydney (AN) - Many young people today "lack hope"; they are often "perplexed" in "a confusing world"; "uncertain" about where to find answers; they see "poverty and injustice and they long to find solutions"; "they are challenged" by those who "deny the existence of God"; "they see great damage done to the natural environment through human greed and they struggle to find ways to live in greater harmony with nature and with one another". This is the picture that Benedict XVI painted today of the world of young people, in a message that Australian television broadcast at the pope's arrival in Sydney. The message was recorded a few days ago at the Vatican. In it, the pope thanks "the beloved people of Australia" for making World Youth Day possible, and asks all of the young people who participate in it to be a force of renewal in the world, "sharing with others the love that the Spirit pours into their hearts, so that they too will be filled with hope and with thanksgiving for all the good things they have received from our heavenly Father".
The pope arrived at 3 p.m. (local time, 7 a.m. in Italy) at the military airport of Richmond (near Sydney) and was welcomed by Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd and by Cardinal Gorge Pell, the archbishop of the city. Until the 17th, in the pope will stay at a study centre belonging to Opus Dei in Kenthurst, in the Blue Mountains National Park, about 40 kilometres from Sydney.
Here is the complete text of the video message:
To the beloved people of Australiaand to the young pilgrims taking part inWorld Youth Day 2008
"You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you: and you will be my witnesses" (Act 1:8)
The grace and peace of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with all of you! In a few days from now, I shall begin my Apostolic Visit to your country, in order to celebrate the Twenty-Third World Youth Day in Sydney. I very much look forward to the days that I shall spend with you, and especially to the opportunities for prayer and reflection with young people from all over the world.
First of all, I want to express my appreciation to all those who have offered so much of their time, their resources and their prayers in support of this celebration. The Australian Government and the Provincial Government of New South Wales, the organizers of all the events, and members of the business community who have provided sponsorship – all of you have willingly supported this event, and on behalf of the young people taking part in the World Youth Day, I thank you most sincerely. Many of the young people have made great sacrifices in order to undertake the journey to Australia, and I pray that they will be rewarded abundantly. The parishes, schools and host families have been most generous in welcoming these young visitors, and they too deserve our thanks and our appreciation.
"You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you: and you will be my witnesses" (Act 1:8). This is the theme of the Twenty-Third World Youth Day. How much our world needs a renewed outpouring of the Holy Spirit! There are still many who have not heard the Good News of Jesus Christ, while many others, for whatever reason, have not recognized in this Good News the saving truth that alone can satisfy the deepest longings of their hearts. The Psalmist prays: "when you send forth your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth" (Ps 104:30). It is my firm belief that young people are called to be instruments of that renewal, communicating to their peers the joy they have experienced through knowing and following Christ, and sharing with others the love that the Spirit pours into their hearts, so that they too will be filled with hope and with thanksgiving for all the good things they have received from our heavenly Father.
Many young people today lack hope. They are perplexed by the questions that present themselves ever more urgently in a confusing world, and they are often uncertain which way to turn for answers. They see poverty and injustice and they long to find solutions. They are challenged by the arguments of those who deny the existence of God and they wonder how to respond. They see great damage done to the natural environment through human greed and they struggle to find ways to live in greater harmony with nature and with one another.
Where can we look for answers? The Spirit points us towards the way that leads to life, to love and to truth. The Spirit points us towards Jesus Christ. There is a saying attributed to Saint Augustine: "If you wish to remain young, seek Christ". In him we find the answers that we are seeking, we find the goals that are truly worth living for, we find the strength to pursue the path that will bring about a better world. Our hearts find no rest until they rest in the Lord, as Saint Augustine says at the beginning of the Confessions, the famous account of his own youth. My prayer is that the hearts of the young people who gather in Sydney for the celebration of World Youth Day will truly find rest in the Lord, and that they will be filled with joy and fervour for spreading the Good News among their friends, their families, and all whom they meet.
Dear Australian friends, although I will only be able to spend a few days in your country, and I will not be able to travel outside Sydney, my heart reaches out to all of you, including those who are sick or in difficulties of any kind. On behalf of all the young people, I thank you again for your support of my mission and I ask you to continue praying for them especially. It remains only for me to renew my invitation to the young people from all over the world to join me in Australia, the great "southern land of the Holy Spirit". I look forward to seeing you there! May God bless you all.
From the Vatican, 4 July 2008
Benedict XVI begins journey toward WYD in Sydney07/12/2008
After three days of rest, events with the young culminating with the vigil and Eucharistic celebration. Tens of thousands of young people from 160 countries are arriving in Australia. Cardinal Pell: Australia's problem is indifference. Controversy over special regulations against those who disrupt WYD.
Rome (AN) - This morning, Benedict XVI began his 9th international voyage, which will take him to Sydney, Australia, for the 23rd World Youth Day. The theme is "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses" (Acts 1:8). The plane with the pope on board left the Rome-Fiumicino airport at 10:30 a.m., and will arrive in Australia after a 20-hour flight.
Benedict XVI will spend the first three days of his stay in Australia at the Kenthurst Study Centre, a retreat centre owned by Opus Dei, just outside of Sydney. There he will rest and prepare for WYD, which will culminate in the evening vigil on Saturday and in the Eucharistic celebration on Sunday, July 20. His first encounter with the young people will take place on Thursday, July 17, in Rose Bay, where the pope will board the ship "Sydney 2000", to be welcomed by a group of young aborigines. After the boat docks at Barangaroo, he will inaugurate the great welcoming celebration for the young people. Pope Ratzinger will return to Italy on Monday, July 21.
At the Angelus last Sunday, Benedict XVI asked all Catholics to accompany WYD with prayer. "I am certain", he said, "that from every corner of the world, Catholics will unite with me and with the young people gathered together, as in a Cenacle, in Sydney, intensely invoking the Holy Spirit, so that he may flood hearts with interior light, with love for God and for neighbour, with courageous initiative in introducing the eternal message of Jesus in the various languages and cultures".
Meanwhile, tens of thousands of young people are coming to Sydney from at least 160 countries, especially from Asia and Oceania. Organisers expect up to 200,000 people, in a country marked by strong secularisation.
In an interview with Vatican Radio, Cardinal George Pell, archbishop of Sydney, said he is afraid that there will be "less enthusiasm" in Australia than is typically shown for papal visits. "For us", he added, "indifference is the problem".
For one year, the World Youth Day Cross has been passing through all of the dioceses of Australia (see photo) to stir up interest among young people.
In recent days, there has been a great deal of discussion in Australia over the special rules established on the occasion of the papal visit and WYD. They permit the police to arrest people who disrupt WYD by their actions or gestures. Radical liberal groups accuse the government of restricting freedom of expression. In reality, the special regulations should simply help to maintain public order in a situation of overcrowding, something rarely seen in Australian life.
The Pope, looking ahead to World Youth Day, invites “the whole Church share in this new stage of the great pilgrimage of young people across the world, begun in 1985 by the Servant of God John Paul II.”
Castel Gandolfo (Agenzia Fides) – “My thoughts already go to Australia where, God willing, I will travel next Saturday, July 12. In Sydney, in fact, in the southeast of the country, the 23rd World Youth Day will take place.” With these words, the Holy Father Benedict XVI wished to dedicate the first Angelus recited at the Apostolic Palace in Castel Gandolfo, his summer residence, to World Youth Day. On July 6, looking out from his balcony to the internal courtyard of the Apostolic Palace, where faithful and pilgrims were gathered, the Pope greeted the authorities and the entire civil and ecclesial community of Castel Gandolfo. Later, he recalled that during the past several months, the "young people's cross" has been taken all over Oceania and “in Sydney it will be once again a silent witness of the pact of alliance between the Lord Jesus Christ and the new generations.” As “the first groups of young men and women from other continents are already leaving for Australia,” Benedict XVI invites “the whole Church to share in this new stage of the great pilgrimage of young people across the world, begun in 1985 by the Servant of God John Paul II.”
“The forthcoming World Youth Day is proclaimed as a new Pentecost,” the Pope said, recalling the theme of his Message for the Day: “ ‘You Will Receive Power When the Holy Spirit Has Come Upon You; and You Will Be My Witnesses ‘ (Acts 1:8). It is the promise Jesus made to his disciples after the resurrection, and which remains always valid and actual in the Church: The Holy Spirit, awaited and received in prayer, infuses in believers the capacity to be witnesses of Jesus and his Gospel.
Blowing on the Church's sail, the divine Spirit pushes her to ‘go into the deep,’ always anew, from generation to generation, to take to everyone the Good News of the love of God, revealed fully in Jesus Christ, dead and resurrected for us. I am certain that from all the corners of the earth Catholics will be united with me and with all the young people gathered -- as in the Cenacle -- in Sydney, intensely invoking the Holy Spirit so that he will flood hearts with the inner light of love of God and of brothers, and of courageous initiative to introduce Jesus' eternal message in the diversity of languages and cultures.” The Pope entrusted his trip to Australia and the youth encounter to the Blessed Virgin Mary’s maternal protection, invoking Her intercession “so that the summer season might offer everyone the occasion for a time of rest and physical and spiritual renewal.” After the recitation of the Angelus, Benedict XVI asked that particular efforts be made by the participants in the annual G-8 summit, saying, “Tomorrow, July 7, the heads of state of member countries of the G-8, together with other leaders of the world, will meet in Japan for their annual summit. In recent days numerous voices have been raised -- among them those of the presidents of the episcopal conferences of the involved nations -- to appeal for the carrying out of the commitments assumed in previous G-8 meetings, and to adopt all the measures necessary to overcome the scourge of extreme poverty, hunger, sicknesses and illiteracy that still affect a great part of humanity. I also join myself to this solemn call to solidarity! Therefore, I address the participants in the Hokkaido-Toyako meeting, so that at the heart of their deliberations they will put the needs of the weakest and poorest peoples, whose vulnerability has increased because of speculation and financial turbulence and its adverse effects on the price of food and energy. I hope that generosity and foresight will help them to make decisions in regard to relaunching an equitable process of integral development to safeguard human dignity.”
The Pope then gave a special greeting to the children and their chauffeurs participating in the “"International Festival of Children Artists 2008," organized by the "Soong Ching Ling Foundation of Italy." “Love, concord, harmony and solidarity are the values that you want to promote in China and in the rest of the countries of the world,” the Pope said. “Art and culture can unite peoples. Children represent the future of the human family and, hence, are called in their own right to build a more beautiful and more human world. Your presence allows me to send good wishes of peace and joy to all your contemporaries in China and in the world.”
The new Pentecost of young people in Sydney15/07/2008
At least 150,000 young people have taken part in the opening Mass presided over by Cardinal Pell. They come from 160 nations, and are united in friendship with the task of transforming the world through faith in Christ. Tensions feared with radical and atheist groups. The greeting of prime minister Kevin Rudd.
Sydney (AN) - "A new Pentecost": this is how Cardinal Rylko, the president of the pontifical council for the laity and in charge of organising WYD, has described the gathering of 150,000 young people for the opening Mass for World Youth Day in Sydney. At four o'clock in the afternoon (local time), the young people began streaming in to the area of Baragaroo, on the bay of Sydney. The "new Pentecost" means a mixing of languages and cultures in friendship, leaving security personnel amazed - and without much to do. At the Mass presided over by Cardinal George Pell, archbishop of Sydney, there were aboriginal dances, Maori songs from New Zealand, readings in Italian, English, French and Spanish, primitive and modern musical instruments. The young people are not afraid of being identified with their place of origin: they wore Peruvian hats, Japanese bandannas, American baseball caps, straw hats; Korean traditional dress, shirts from the Philippines, simple jeans, or Indonesian batik fabric. And then there were the flags of all the 160 nations present for this WYD, waving to the rhythm of the songs of the Mass.
But the "new Pentecost" also means - as implied by the title of this WYD 2008 - receiving power from the Holy Spirit, to be witnesses to the Christian faith in today's world.
In his homily, Cardinal Paul prayed that the Spirit might transform the young people present into "an army of saints" to renew the world, and asked them to "have courage", to "go far", toward radical decisions, even embracing vocations of total dedication, and encountering those who do not believe as well.
Before this, at the initial greeting, the cardinal said: "I want to welcome not only you, but all those who feel lost, weary . . . The call of Christ is addressed to all, including those who do not believe . . . those who do not have any religion". This invitation may have been addressed to the Australians themselves, marked by secularism and indifference. Out of 20 million inhabitants, only 5 million are Catholic (about 26%), and 17% have no religion or are declared atheists, often with radical tendencies.
In the days before WYD, there were numerous little demonstrations of people wearing T-shirts reading "God does not exist". There is also a controversy over the special police rules against offending the participants and events of WYD, struck down by a federal court decision yesterday. It is possible that this will prompt the "No Pope" groups to organise demonstrations and distribute condoms and coat hangers (symbolising abortion) to the young people of WYD.
The organisers of the event say that as of now there are 250,000 people signed up to attend WYD in Sydney, and that 500,000 young people are expected at the vigil at the Mass with the pope on Saturday and Sunday.
And they opening Mass, the young people also received a greeting from prime minister Kevin Rudd. ''Some say there is no place for faith in the 21st century", he told them. "I say they are wrong". And he added: "You are welcome guests in our land. May each of you be enriched by your time here among us in Australia, just as you enrich Australia by your time here with us".
Australia's animals "on visit" to pope. Beginning of catecheses for young people of WYD 16/07/2008
Employees of the Taronga zoo brought the pope some small species present only in Australia. The catechesis for young people centred on the "Call to life in the Holy Spirit". During the afternoon and evening, the 150 performances of the Youth Festival.
Sydney (AN) - This afternoon, Benedict XVI moved to the Cathedral House of Sydney, where he will stay until the end of WYD, on July 21. Over the last few days, the pope was the guest of the Kenthurst Study Center, a retreat house owned by Opus Dei, about 40 kilometres from the city. At the study centre, the pope this morning received a "special visit": employees of the Taronga zoo brought him some native animals of Australia - a koala, a wallaby (a small marsupial similar to a kangaroo), a python, a lizard, a baby crocodile and an echidna. In recent days, the pope sent a message to the Australian people and to the young people of WYD, emphasising the increasing concern of young people toward the environment and the protection of creation.
This morning, there were also catecheses in various languages: the young people, subdivided into large groups, listened to reflections from the bishops present at WYD. Today's catechesis is on the theme "Called to life in the Holy Spirit". The one in Italian was given by Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, president of the Italian bishops' conference. This afternoon, the more than 150 performances of the Youth Festival begin. In some areas of the city there are dances, projections, performances, combining traditional elements: Samoan and Polynesian dances in Hyde Park, and rap concerts at the Royal Hall of Industries.
Pope tells young people power of Holy Spirit can transform world
SYDNEY, Australia (CNS) -- With prayer and openness, young people can receive the power of the Holy Spirit and transform the world, Pope Benedict XVI told participants at World Youth Day.
"Do not be afraid to say 'yes' to Jesus, to find your joy in doing his will, giving yourself completely to the pursuit of holiness," the pope told them July 20 as he celebrated the Mass closing the six-day youth gathering.
Some 350,000 people attended the morning Mass at Royal Randwick Racecourse and, police said, more than half of them had braved the cold and spent the night camping out at the track. World Youth Day officials put Mass attendance at 400,000.
Annalee Moyer, one of two U.S. members of the World Youth Day International Liturgy Group, was among the campers.
As she prepared to read the English-language prayer of the faithful during the July 20 Mass, she said, "I think I got three or four hours" of sleep. "It was really cold; I kept waking up."
The overnight scene at Randwick, where temperatures reached 47 F, was amazing, she said.
Pope apologizes to Australians for 'betrayal' of clergy sex abuse
SYDNEY, Australia (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI said he was "deeply sorry for the pain and suffering" endured by Australian victims of clerical sexual abuse.
Describing the abuse as "so grave a betrayal of trust," he said it deserves "unequivocal condemnation."
Pope Benedict offered the apology July 19 during a Mass in St. Mary's Cathedral with Australia's bishops and representatives of the country's priests, religious, seminarians and novices.
Set amid Sydney landmarks, stations attract hundreds of thousands
SYDNEY, Australia (CNS) -- In a week when the presence of Pope Benedict XVI in Sydney for World Youth Day had produced multiple memorable moments, the re-enactment of Jesus' last days on earth was an event the likes of which this city had not seen before.
Combining traditional and contemporary elements of song, dance and drama set amid many of Sydney's iconic landmarks, this huge devotional production attracted hundreds of thousands to key locations in the city and harbor shores. Joining Sydney participants was a worldwide viewing audience estimated to be more than 500 million.
For three hours Christ's passion unfolded at Sydney's Domain, Art Gallery, Opera House, Darling Harbor and the old dockyard at Barangaroo. Pilgrims at each location were linked by giant video screens. Meanwhile a golden winter's afternoon light turned to twilight and finally full darkness on the harbor as Jesus' body was taken down from the cross.
Aborigines play prominent role in pope's welcome to Australia
SYDNEY, Australia (CNS) -- To the haunting drone of didgeridoo, Pope Benedict XVI's arrival at Rose Bay began with a "sweeping dance" performed by three young Australian Aborigines.
The clearing of debris from the ground ahead of the pope symbolized "purification and new beginnings," said one of the dancers, Matt Shields, 23, a Kamilaroi from western New South Wales. The dance was one of several events highlighting Australia's indigenous peoples July 17, the pope's first day of participating in World Youth Day events.
Earlier in the day, Pope Benedict had spoken about new beginnings for Australia's indigenous peoples during a brief speech at Sydney's Government House when he applauded the government's recent apology to Aborigines for the stolen generations forcibly separated from their families. The Australian government's acknowledgment of injustices against indigenous peoples, the pope said, was "courageous."
Religious differences can't stop dialogue, pope tells Australians
SYDNEY, Australia (CNS) -- Differences among Christians and between Christians and other religions cannot be ignored, but they also cannot be an excuse to stop dialogue, Pope Benedict XVI told religious leaders in Sydney.
The pope held separate meetings July 18 with representatives of Australia's Christian communities and with representatives of other religions.
At the ecumenical gathering, the pope said that recognizing each other as Christians because of a common baptism is just the beginning of the relationship that should exist among followers of Christ.
"The road of ecumenism ultimately points toward a common celebration of the Eucharist, which Christ entrusted to his Apostles as the sacrament of the church's unity," he said.
Youths join pope for lunch, present gifts, including Mickey Mouse hat
SYDNEY, Australia (CNS) -- The 12 young adults who shared lunch July 18 with Pope Benedict XVI also shared with him stories about their lives and their countries.
And they brought him gifts, including handicrafts from their home countries and three CDs of classical music.
Armando Cervantes, the 27-year-old director of youth and young adult ministry for the Diocese of Orange, Calif., presented the pope with a classic from the top tourist destination in his diocese -- Disneyland.
The Mickey Mouse hat, featuring the famous character's big ears, was inscribed "Benedict XVI," Cervantes said, adding that the pope did not try it on, but he was smiling.
Pope urges young people to respect life by safeguarding all creation
SYDNEY, Australia (CNS) -- Wonder and awe, tradition and novelty were combined July 17 as Pope Benedict XVI shared a 45-minute boat ride through Sydney Harbor, chatting with a handful of young people before formally addressing thousands of them.
As the pope's boat left Rose Bay, he briefly sat in the wooden throne placed on the bow. But soon the young people introduced to him crowded around and he stood with them at the railing, chatting and waving to people on shore and on boats escorting them to the welcoming ceremony.
At Rose Bay, Aboriginal elders greeted the pope, gave him gifts and, dancing, led him to the water's edge.
Once the pope's boat reached the old dockyard at Barangaroo, a young Aborigine greeted the pope with a hug, and the pope stood with a broad smile on his face as young indigenous danced for him.
For some, absence of Iraqis dampens joy of welcoming pope to WYD
SYDNEY, Australia (CNS) -- For some participants at World Youth Day, the joy of welcoming Pope Benedict XVI to the World Youth Day celebration July 17 was dampened by the absence of a Chaldean Catholic delegation from Iraq.
Salina Hasham, a World Youth Day employee, has been working for months trying to get the 170-member Iraqi delegation to Sydney.
At first, it seemed the Australian government would not issue any visas to the group, Hasham said. Then 10 visas were granted and, finally, a total of 25 visas were approved.
But as of July 17, she said, "they are stuck in Iraq. They have been at the airport for days, but flight after flight has been canceled."
Pope formally welcomed to Australia with 21-gun salute, military band
SYDNEY, Australia (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI formally was welcomed to Australia with a 21-gun salute and bright sunshine that had only just begun drying the dew in the grassy garden of Sydney's Government House.
Although he arrived in Australia July 13 and in Sydney July 16, the first days of his stay were dedicated to relaxation.
Protocol took over July 17 with the government's official welcoming ceremony, complete with a papal review of members of the Australian armed forces, including the Australian Army Band, which played "Waltzing Matilda" only after the pope had left.
Amid the freebies, young people gravitate toward booths of religious
SYDNEY, Australia (CNS) -- Free Internet access, free coffee, free lollipops and live music were offered at the World Youth Day vocations fair, but the young people seemed most attracted by the generally young brothers, sisters and priests staffing the booths.
A huge hall in the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre was filled with nearly 100 booths offering information about dozens of religious orders, priestly service in Australian or U.S. dioceses, lay movements, evangelization projects and natural family planning.
Vatican diplomat tells WYD pilgrims Spirit guides them to God
SYDNEY, Australia (CNS) -- The Vatican's ambassador to Egypt told World Youth Day pilgrims that the Holy Spirit will guide them in their relationship with God and stick with them when they leave the international youth festival.
Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald told New Zealand and Pakistani youths gathered in St. Aloysius Gonzaga Church in southern Sydney July 16 that the Holy Spirit "confirms the Christian's special relationship with God."
"It is the Spirit that helps us to relate to the Father and Son, and it is the Spirit that allows us to pray," said the archbishop during the talk, part of the July 15-20 World Youth Day activities in Sydney.
In a sea of World Youth Day pilgrims, dozens from mainland China
SYDNEY, Australia (CNS) -- In brilliant winter sunshine the old docklands at Barrangaroo became a moving sea of national flags unfurling above the heads of the 150,000 pilgrims who had come from different corners of the earth to celebrate one faith and liturgy.
Among the flags was one from China: About 60 pilgrims from mainland China attended World Youth Day in Sydney. Among them were priests not registered with the Chinese government who, for the first time in their lives, wore the black and white collar that identifies them as a Catholic priest.
World Youth Day kicks off in Sydney with Mass, dancing, testimonies
SYDNEY, Australia (CNS) -- World Youth Day officially kicked off July 15 with an opening Mass celebrated by Sydney Cardinal George Pell before an estimated 140,000 people.
Before the Mass, as the pilgrims gathered on the old docklands at Barangaroo, they heard testimonies of faith experiences at previous World Youth Days, watched dancing by a variety of Aboriginal Australian and South Pacific islander groups and cheered a procession of 160 national flags.
Pilgrims make Hawaii stop part of preparation for World Youth Day
HONOLULU (CNS) -- Hundreds of pilgrims from the U.S. mainland stopped in Hawaii on their way to World Youth Day 2008 in Sydney, Australia, and whether they stayed one day or several, they made the most of their island visit.
Twenty-five people from the Diocese of Springfield, Ill., led by Father Daren Zehnle, were the first. They were in Hawaii July 3-7 and stopped by the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace in Honolulu for Mass July 6.
Teens To Provide World Youth Day Web Coverage From Sydney
WASHINGTON – Twenty-two “youth reporters” have been trained in Washington and Los Angeles to report on events at the tenth international World Youth Day, set for July 15-20 in Sydney, Australia. Training was sponsored by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) in cooperation with MyCatholicVoice and the Embassy of Australia, as a way to provide Catholics around the world with real-time coverage of the event, in addition to coverage provided by traditional media. Training occurred during June at the Australian Embassy in Washington and the Australian Consulate in Los Angeles. Those unable to attend in person received training by attending “virtually” over the internet.
U.S. To Send Largest International Pilgrim Group To World Youth Day In Sydney
WASHINGTON---The United States will send 15,000 young people to World Youth Day, the international event convened by Pope Benedict XVI, scheduled to take place in Sydney, Australia, from July 15 through 20. According to U.S. organizers, this will be the largest delegation representing any country outside of Australia. The young pilgrims will be joined by 50 U.S. bishops, including Cardinal Francis George, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
The young people, most of whom are in their late teens and young adult years, are traveling to Australia in 1,140 groups that range in varying sizes up to 520 individuals. Typically, the groups are organized by dioceses, parishes, religious associations and schools, though some groups are families who have chosen to make the journey on their own.
Pope asks Catholics to pray for WYD; Vatican announces indulgences
CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI asked Catholics around the world to pray for the young people who will gather with him in Sydney, Australia, for the celebration of World Youth Day.
To help encourage the prayers of all, the Vatican announced July 5 that the pope had authorized a special indulgence for anyone who, "with a contrite spirit," raises a "prayer to God, the Holy Spirit, so that young people are drawn to charity and given the strength to proclaim the Gospel with their life," a Vatican decree said.
Pope Benedict spoke about his July 12-21 trip to Australia when he met visitors at his summer villa south of Rome for the July 6 recitation of the Angelus. World Youth Day runs July 15-20 in Sydney.
Australian young people, he said, had been preparing for the event with a prayerful pilgrimage of the World Youth Day cross, "a silent witness of the covenant pact between the Lord Jesus Christ and the new generations."
U.S. nuns flock to Sydney as pilgrims, volunteers for World Youth Day
SYDNEY, Australia (CNS) -- The gathering of American sisters in Sydney's Hyde Park was a harbinger of things to come as Australia's largest city began to transform under the influx of hundreds of thousands of World Youth Day pilgrims.
The 35 women religious representing a dozen U.S. congregations are World Youth Day pilgrims and volunteers, acting in various evangelical and liturgical roles. Many will serve as extraordinary ministers of Communion at Pope Benedict XVI's closing Mass, where more than 500,000 worshippers are expected to attend.
Social networking site connects youths to build faith, friendship
SYDNEY, Australia (CNS) -- Sydney Cardinal George Pell and Sydney Auxiliary Bishop Anthony Fisher, the World Youth Day coordinator, launched the first exclusive World Youth Day social networking Web site to connect pilgrims around the globe.
The Web site -- www.Xt3.com -- was launched June 12 in Sydney with 100 young people whom Cardinal Pell and Bishop Fisher invited to be their online friends.
West Virginia youths 'ecstatic' about being on boat with pope
WHEELING, W.Va. (CNS) -- A group of 26 West Virginians selected to accompany Pope Benedict XVI on the "Sydney 2000" cruise boat for the papal arrival at World Youth Day in Sydney, Australia, July 17 were "ecstatic" to have that opportunity.
Mike Hall, director of the Wheeling-Charleston diocesan Office of Youth, Young Adults and Campus Ministries, said the group was one of eight in the world chosen to accompany the pope on the boat.
Pilgrims from Spain cheer as Pope Benedict XVI names Madrid as the host city of World Youth Day 2011. He made the announcement at the close of World Youth Day in Sydney, Australia, July 20. (CNS photo/Will Burgess, Reuters)
Pilgrims walk in front of a mosaic image of Christ composed of tiny photographs at World Youth Day in Sydney. (CNS/Alessia Giuliani, Catholic Press Photo)
Actors re-enact the removal of Christ's body from the cross during the Stations of the Cross at World Youth Day in Sydney, Australia. (CNS photo/Mick Tsikas, Reuters)
Aboriginal dancers wait for Pope Benedict XVI to address pilgrims at a World Youth Day ceremony. (CNS photo/Mick Tsikas, Reuters)
Pope Benedict XVI shakes hands with Sheikh Shardy at an interfaith meeting in Sydney, Australia. (CNS photo/William West, pool via Reuters)
Pope Benedict XVI admires the view as he makes his way by boat through Sydney. The pope arrived on a cruise ship to greet World Youth Day pilgrims in a spirited ceremony at the city's waterfront. (CNS photo/Alessia Giuliani, Catholic Press Photo)
An Aboriginal musician plays for Pope Benedict XVI as he arrives at a welcoming ceremony for World Youth Day at Barangaroo in Sydney. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)
Pilgrims cheer as they catch a glimpse of Pope Benedict XVI's boat during a welcoming ceremony. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)
Pope Benedict XVI is accompanied by Cardinal George Pell of Sydney as he greets World Youth Day pilgrims at a welcoming ceremony at Barangaroo in Sydney. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)
Pope Benedict XVI pets a koala at the Kenthurst Study Centre in Kenthurst, Australia, about 30 miles outside Sydney.(CNS photo/L' Osservatore Romano via Reuters)
Pilgrims follow the liturgy during the World Youth Day opening Mass. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)
Cardinal George Pell of Sydney, Australia, gives Communion to youths at the opening Mass of World Youth Day in Sydney. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)
Tongan dancers perform at a Caritas reception at World Youth Day in Sydney, Australia, July 14.
(CNS photo/Paul Haring)
Young women from Rockville Centre, N.Y., learn how to string plumeria leis on "Aloha Spirit Youth Day," July 11, sponsored by the Diocese of Honolulu for pilgrims on their way to Sydney, Australia, for World Youth Day. About 500 pilgrims from the U.S. mainland stopped in Hawaii on their way to Australia.
(CNS photo/Anna Weaver, Hawaii Catholic Herald)
Young people dip the World Youth Day cross in the water near the Great Barrier Reef during a ceremony aboard the HMAS Broome off Cairns, Australia, Sept. 22. The pilgrim cross, entrusted to the youths of the world by Pope John Paul II, has been carried more than 7,440 miles across Australia ahead of World Youth Day 2008.
(CNS photo/Nancy Wiechec)
Staff work on a stage during the construction of a venue July 10 where the final act of the Stations of the Cross will be performed During World Youth Day in Sydney, Australia. Pope Benedict XVI will make his first visit to Australia as pope when he arrives for the events July 13.
(CNS photo/Tim Wimborne, Reuters)
Nuns from the U.S. smile as they gather for a group photo in Hyde Park in Sydney, Australia, July 8. Women from dozens of religious orders in the U.S. had arrived in Sydney as volunteers for World Youth Day, the weeklong international celebration with Pope Benedict XVI and 225,000 Catholic young people. (CNS photo/Dan McAloon)
A new social networking site, www.xt3.com, provides a way for World Youth Day pilgrims to share friendship and faith. (CNS photo)
The World Youth Day Cross is seen aboard the Lady Jane Franklin II as it enters through "Hell's Gates" channel along the remote west coast of the Australian island of Tasmania. "Hell's Gates," a narrow entrance into the Macquarie Harbor, was named by convicts who arrived through the dangerous channel to begin their prison stay on the island.
(CNS photo/World Youth Day)
Pope Benedict leads a giant youth vigil at Sydney's Randwick Racecourse telling young pilgrims to 'believe in the power of the spirit of love'.... 
Pope Benedict XVI is due to arrive in Rome’s Ciampino Airport later this evening, concluding journey to Sydney Australia for World Youth Day 2008. Emer McCarthy has taken a look back over a this 23rd world youth day, leaving the final word to those tens of thousands of pilgrims who have reached their journey’s end. 
World Youth Day 2008 has officially ended in Sydney, Australia. The final event was the concluding Mass, celebrated in front of 400,000 people in a ceremony where Pope Benedict XVI celebrated the Sacrament of Confirmation for 24 young adults, 2 from each of the six Australian states, and 12 from around the world. At the end of the celebration, the Holy Father confirmed the site of the 2011 World Youth Day. Sean-Patrick Lovett has the details…
Sydney (AN) – The three crosses of Calvary loom against the background of the bay, lit up by reflectors. Young actors, half-naked in the cold night of the Australian winter, have a focused gaze. The dark sea shrouds the scene like a surreal painting by Dalí or Velázquez. Hundreds of thousands of young people follow in silence the actors’ pantomime and the sound of commentaries; the choir highlighting the various moments with gospel songs, Gregorian chants and eastern mantras or music by Bach. 
