Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Rome (Agenzia Fides) - World Youth Day is successful because it is a profound faith experience within a community of prayer, but also because it allows young people to have fun and to enjoy being alive, ACBC (Australian Catholic Bishops' Conference) President Archbishop Philip Wilson said, as he addressed English-speaking youth mainly from the United States and Australia at the Pontifical North American College in Rome, where he has been holding a series of encounters.
The Archbishop said that the WYD experience had left a deep impression on the youth because it touched the most profound parts of their being, leading them to an experience of faith, joy, and love. In order to measure the “success of the event,” he said, we should not only look at the number of vocations to the priesthood and religious life, but also the desire to form new Christian families that will serve as yeast in the local Dioceses.
Archbishop Wilson also mentioned that the mass media and the dominant culture, filled with individualism and consumerism, lead a young person to believe that he is alone. WYD is a means of sharply contrasting this message. At their age, the youth need strong experiences of joy and coming together, such as WYD, where they can recognize what life is really about, life in Christ.
The Archbishop also recalled the impact of WYD in Sydney and in the various Australian dioceses, who received much from the entire experience. WYD has also been very important in rekindling the faith and enthusiasm of the entire Church in Australia. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 20/1/2009)
