Pope on message with
youth
By JOHN L. ALLEN JR.
Toronto, Canada
An ailing but resilient Pope John Paul II arrived in Canada July
23 for his eighth World Youth Day, facing challenges that rippled out around
him like waves on Torontos Lake Ontario.
Despite the concerns, the pope has stayed relentlessly on message,
urging the 250,000 young people from 172 countries gathered here to be beacons
of Christian hope in the post-Sept. 11 world.
The first challenge was one that John Paul brought with him -- his
own declining health, which initially threatened to dominate news coverage.
When the pope landed in Toronto, however, he walked under his own power down
the 27 steps from his Alitalia flight rather than being moved by a lift on the
other side of the plane, as has lately been the norm. The unexpected gesture
largely dispelled speculation that he might collapse under the strain of the
journey.
Harder to shake off, however, was concern about the health of
World Youth Day itself. As the event opened, attendance projections were in Dow
Jones-style free fall. Months ago organizers had anticipated 750,000, but as
registrations failed to materialize, estimates were revised to 500,000, then
250,000 -- a reflection, they said, of Canadas distance from Catholic
population centers, combined with post-Sept. 11 malaise. Others wonder,
however, if some of the charm of Wojtylas Woodstock, as the
massive World Youth Day festivals have been dubbed, is wearing off.
At the same time, an enormous crowd is expected for the July 28
concluding Mass. As NCR went to press, organizers said that TV images
July 23 of an energized John Paul had produced a last-minute rush of
registrations.
A related worry was a cash shortfall. Each delegate paid $158 for
registration, and the budget was built on the expectation of 350,000
registrations, so if the actual number is 250,000, that would mean a $15.8
million deficit. Any deficit will have to be paid off by the Canadian
bishops conference.
John Paul might also be forgiven a bit of nervousness about the
Catholic church he finds in Canada. A National Post poll just before he
arrived found that 82 percent of Canadian Catholics want married priests, and
80 percent women priests. To be sure, the easy-going liberalism of Canadian
Catholicism is less feisty than its German or American counterparts, but no
less resistant to Roman diktat.
Underscoring that point, a group of reform-minded Catholics staged
a series of parallel events during World Youth Day at a nearby Anglican
parish.
Given the obvious energy and good humor of the swarms of young
people moving up and down the streets of Toronto, however, World Youth Day
organizers seemed upbeat about how things are going.
The story of World Youth Day is not to break records. ...
Its a story about the formation of a generation, transformation of
culture, about the bringing of the message of peace and joy, said
Basilian Fr. Thomas Rosica, chief organizer.
World Youth Day, an international festival held every two years
since 1986, has become the defining mega-event of the Wojtyla papacy.
Supporters hail John Pauls ability to galvanize youth as one of the most
original aspects of his papacy, a modern revitalization of the ancient
Christian tradition of pilgrimage. Detractors, however, sometimes deride the
pep rally style of the event as a form of papal idolatry.
Though the highlight of the week will be an all-night starlit
prayer vigil on Saturday, July 27, leading to the papal Mass the next morning,
the 2002 edition of World Youth Day encompasses a week-long series of
events.
During the mornings July 24-27, participants are taking part in a
series of catechetical sessions organized into 24 language groups, held in
churches across Toronto. A total of 262 bishops, including 30 cardinals, are
making presentations.
In the afternoons, the youth can choose from among a wide variety
of experiences, including seminars, time together in cafés, a film
festival and direct service projects. They can also go to confession in
stations set up on the bank of the lake.
In the run-up to this years event, Canadian youth took part
in a pilgrimage across the country bearing a 12-foot, 70-pound cross, which
they received from the Italians who hosted World Youth Day in 2000.
If some say that the youth of Quebec no longer have faith,
what we saw and lived for over a week definitely goes against the tide,
said Sebastien Lacroix, one of the youth who took part in the march.
At his Sunday Angelus address from Castel Gandolfo before leaving
for Canada, the pope said that the tragic events of Sept. 11 cast a
dark shadow over the world, and Catholic youth are called to dispel that
darkness.
In an interview with NCR, Bishop Wilton Gregory, president
of the U.S. bishops conference, said he believes the popes appeal
is working.
If the world is in the hands of these young people, they
will do a much better job than the older generation. They are proud of their
faith, they are enthused, they find being with each other across language and
cultural and racial groups a source of energy, Gregory said.
Theyre wonderful.
On July 29, John Paul is to leave Canada for 24 hours in Guatemala
City, then two days in Mexico City. In both places he will canonize or beatify
indigenous laypersons.
John L. Allen Jr. is NCR Rome correspondent. His
e-mail address is jallen@natcath.org
National Catholic Reporter, August 2,
2002
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