“In this moment in which the living presence of the Risen Christ in our midst inspires faith and hope, I am pleased to announce that the next World Youth Day will be held in Sydney, in Australia, in 2008. We entrust the future of youth throughout the world to the maternal and loving guidance of the Blessed Virgin Mary”. So said Benedict XVI in announcing the venue and year of the next WYD, the first ever to be held in Oceania. The Pope was speaking in his Angelus address in the huge expanse of Marienfeld, outside Cologne, on 21 August, to the million or so young people present at the final mass of the 20th World Youth Day. The choice of Sydney was greeted with great satisfaction by Cardinal George Pell, archbishop of the city, immediately after Benedict XVI’s announcement. “We have been working on this project with the Australian government for three years now said the cardinal and I believe that the plan drawn up is fairly ambitious, even if we have three more years to prepare ourselves for it”. The hope is that with the next WYD, to be celebrated in July 2008, “our faith may be reinforced, because there’s a lot of religious indifference in Australia. My intention is to do everything I can to ensure that WYD, right from its preparation, be a great occasion for the rediscovery of Christ and of his Church. The presence of Catholic youth from all over the world will be very important for this”.
