WYD 2011
Ireland: in 700 with every means of transport Some 700 young Irish taking part in the upcoming World Youth Day in Madrid (August 16-21) will travel by plane, car and train. All dioceses in the Country are involved in this recommended appointment in a dedicated video produced by Msgr. Donal McKeown, auxiliary bishop of Down and Connor who coordinates the pilgrimage of the youth along with a team of priests, lay and religious men and women. Each diocese is stepping up preparations independently, as reported in the website of the Irish bishops’ conference that hosts a dedicated WYD section, with streaming video of the events, notably those attended by Benedict XVI. The diocese with the highest number of registrations for the WYD – 151 at present – is the one in Dublin, that will be accompanied by the auxiliary bishop Msgr. Raymond Field. Among them figures also a group of catechists who will animate English-language catechesis. Follow the dioceses of Armagh (130 registered participants headed by card. Brady), Kildare (128), Clogher (66), Ferns (40) as well as Ardagh and Clonmacnoise with 8 participants. Not all of the Country’s dioceses will take part in the “Days in the dioceses”, a choice that has been made only by the archdiocese of Ardagh (in Segovia), Armagh (Tarragona) and Down and Connor (Porto).Spain: a closing “heartfelt” football matchA charity football match of retired football champions will close the World Youth Day in Madrid. Emilio Butragueño, Fran, Donato and Rubén de la Red produced videos encouraging the youth to take part in the final event. Other players still in activity like Julio Baptista e Mario Suarez adhered to the initiative. Over twenty ex glories of Spanish football – that include Rubén De la Red, Butragueño, Luis Milla, Fernando Sanz, Fran, Celades, Diego Tristán, Toni Muñoz, Santi Denia, Kiko Narváez, Ricardo Gallego and “Lobo” Carrasco – will be selected along with other ex world football champions on August 21 at 21 hrs at the Vicente Calderon stadium in the football match “Thank you!”, the closing event of the WYD, which enjoys the support of the Atletico Madrid Foundation. The Spanish players will be dressed in red while among the international team, in white, figure ex-champions such as Davor Suker, Paulo Futre, Hristo Stoikhov, Milinko Pantic, Celestini, Craioveanu, Naybet, and N’Kono. The youth of the WYD remain the protagonists. Surprises are planned also for the young WYD pilgrims. A Spanish and a foreign pilgrim will have the opportunity of acting as captains in the two teams, as extra members of the Spanish team and of the rest-of-the-world team. Furthermore, in the half-time ten pilgrims from world nations will enter the field as representatives of their respective countries to take a penalty. They will face the regular goalkeepers of the two teams. The youth will be selected among the groups that have purchased the higher number of entrance tickets, available at 5, 10, and 15 euro on the website www.servicaixa.com (Sport section). The collected funds will be used to finance the WYD as well as a solidarity project promoted with the Atletico Madrid Foundation.Greece: the bishops welcome 186 young people186 young people from Greek dioceses will take part in the World Youth Day in Madrid from August 16-21 and in the “Days in the dioceses” in Cordoba. To them the Episcopal conference in Greece has addressed a greeting exhorting them to accurately prepare this encounter with prayer, the reading of spiritual texts and most of all, the Message of Benedict XVI. In fact, for the bishops, only by being rooted in Christ, which is the theme of the WYD, is it possible to overcome the difficulties experienced by many young people, especially in this period of crisis and social tensions. Job uncertainty, unemployment, the impossibility of implementing talents, the difficulties of finding points of reference in life, alongside with a serious global and national crises, said the bishops, have severely weighed on the youth and tuned down their enthusiasm. Despite these difficulties, the message exhorts young people to have courage and hope, through the faith in Christ and in the Church, and invites them to follow Benedict XVI. “Christ does not delude. Christ fascinates. Christ frees”. The bishops’ letter closes by wishing participants a good pilgrimage and to be the witnesses of the Greek Church and her vocation “to all be one”. The youth will be accompanied by the bishop of Corfù, Msgr. Giovanni Spyteris.
