World Youth Day 2008 Totally Explained

Everything about World Youth Day 2008 totally explained

World Youth Day 2008 is the Catholic youth festival that will be held 15–20 July in Sydney, Australia at major Sydney CBD locations, which will include a visit by Pope Benedict XVI. The occasion will mark only the fourth Papal visit to the country, and was commended by the then Prime Minister of Australia John Howard and the Archbishop of Sydney, Cardinal George Pell.

Theme

The theme of World Youth Day 2008 will be "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you'll be my witnesses." (Acts 1:8) According to Australian news reports, the bishops of Australia had originally suggested a different theme, but Pope Benedict wanted a theme emphasizing the role of the Holy Spirit.
The theme song is Receive the Power, which was written by Guy Sebastian and Gary Pinto, and performed by Guy Sebastian and Paulini..

Format of Events

The festivities of WYD began on July 1, 2007, when a large 3.8 metre-high wooden WYD Cross and a large 15 kilogram Icon of the Virgin Mary arrived in Australia to travel around the dioceses of Australia, engaging with a variety of Catholic parishes and communities. The WYD Cross was entrusted to the youth of the world by Pope John Paul II in 1984 as a sign of peace and hope. The Pope told the young people of the world to take it around the world as "a symbol of Christ's love for humanity". In 2004, Pope John Paul II commissioned the large icon of the Virgin Mary to accompany the Cross's pilgrimage. It is a symbol intended to represent Mary's maternal love for young people. From the announcement of the host World Youth Day, the Cross and Icon travel ceremonially around the world similar to the Olympic Torch Relay.
   In the week preceding the main event, many young Catholic pilgrims will have spent time in different parts of Australia, staying with a local parish as part of the Days in the Dioceses. After their stay, that'll then travel to Sydney for the Opening Mass of the week-long main event.
   On Tuesday 15 July, World Youth Day 2008 will begin with the Opening Mass, celebrated by Cardinal George Pell, the Archbishop of Sydney, at East Darling Harbour. This will be followed by a concert.
Each morning from Tuesday 15 to Thursday 17 July, Catechesis will be held in approximately 300 locations. This is where pilgrims will receive teachings from a Bishop, and will also celebrate Mass. In the afternoons, pilgrims will then journey into the city and attend the Youth Festival which will consist of a series of art exhibitions, concerts, seminars, conferences, etc.
   On Thursday 17 July, Sydney and hundreds of thousands of young Catholics from around the world will be present to welcome Pope Benedict XVI as he arrives in Australia.
   On Friday 18 July, there will be a live re-enactment of the Stations of the Cross at major city landmarks. On Saturday 19 July, pilgrims will embark on a 10-kilometre pilgrimage walk, beginning at the Mary MacKillop Chapel, over the Sydney Harbour Bridge and across the city to attend an overnight Vigil before the Mass at Randwick Racecourse.
   Up to 300,000 pilgrims will sleep out under the stars at Randwick, before an estimated 500,000 participants are expected to attend the Final Mass celebrated by Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday 20 July. Pope Benedict will continue a tradition of Australian papal Masses at Randwick Racecourse, following in the footsteps of Popes John Paul II and Paul VI.

Multimedia

WYD 2008 will be the first World Youth Day to take full advantage of telecommunications, with Pope Benedict sending daily text messages to the (predicted) 500000 pilgrims and the innovative new WYD08 Social Networking site, Xt3.com, which is expected to be launched later this month.

Criticism

While the NSW state government has claimed World Youth Day will have a direct economic benefit in excess of $150 million, there has been widespread concern regarding disruption to traffic and businesses as well as public funding of $86 million for what has been called a "promotional event" for the Catholic Church.
The use of Randwick Racecourse for this event was heavily criticised and legally challenged by the racing industry in Sydney, especially the Randwick Trainers Association, citing potentially catastrophic disruptions to their business and damage to the racecourse itself. Industry representatives argued that alternative sites, such as the former Olympic facilities at Homebush Bay, were more suitable venues for World Youth Day, but the NSW and Federal governments and the event organisers insisted that Randwick Racecourse was the only location suitable for an event of this scale.
The World Youth Day committee initially offered to pay an agreed settlement to the racing industry. However, after some complaints, the federal government and the state government stepped in and jointly pledged $40 million in compensation to the racing industry - more than triple the previously agreed upon amount. In exchange, the industry will relocate its operations to the Warwick Farm and Rosehill Gardens racecourses, with infrastructure at these sites and at Randwick to be upgraded as part of the compensation package. In addition, the Australian Jockey Club's lease at Randwick will be extended by 50 years.

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