A network of friendship” “

The terrorist attacks in London throw a shadow of fear over large meetings in the West. But they do not stop the preparations for WYD: a message of peace and of brotherhood against terror. Great expectations, indeed, are concentrated on Cologne 2005, which is destined not to remain an isolated event, since, as declared by the secretary of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, Monsignor Josef Clemens , speaking at Eichstätt on 7 July, “it seems that something like a contagious ‘virus’ is spread by World Youth Day, which continues to act in a dynamic way”. Clemens, who participated in the organization of the event, added: “Experience shows that often in the life of the participants in WYD something changes in a lasting way”. And according to the organizers, many volunteer helpers and participants are young people who never had any contacts with youth apostolate until now. Clemens also emphasized the aspect of reinforcement of personal faith and the contribution made by WYD to the overcoming of national prejudices: “‘Networks of friendship’ are created”, which make a genuine “contribution to inward and outward peace in the world”. JUSTICE AND PEACE. The theme of “Justice and Peace” will be at the centre of the International Youth Hearing for Justice and Peace that is due to be held in the Bürgerhaus Stollwerck in Cologne from 2 to 6 pm on 17 August. Questions of justice and peace in the world, as fundamental goals of WYD, will be discussed at the meeting. The International Youth Hearing is an event that forms an integral part of the 20th WYD. It is being organized by the Federation of German Catholic Youth (BDKJ) in collaboration with the episcopal aid organization Misereor and the German Commission Justitia et Pax. “The debate on peace and justice with the participation of youth from all over the world represents an important contribution to ensure that at the end of the WYD the participants will return to their countries strengthened in spirit. In this way it will become clear that the young want to assume responsibility for the whole world”, said Father Andreas Mauritz of the BDKJ. “The youth associations have prepared WYD throughout the world with various projects, with a particular emphasis on the question of justice and peace. During WYD we will try to develop together a vision for the future”, he added. The Youth Hearing, open to all the participants in WYD, will also be attended by various ecclesiastical personalities: the invited guests include Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga of Tegucigalpa/Honduras, Bishop Reinhard Marx of Trier, in his role as chairman of the German Commission of Justitia et Pax, and the German Minister of Aid to Development Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul. MOVING ABOUT DURING WYD. On the occasion of the great youth jamboree in Cologne, the local buses and trains will run till 23.30 at ten-minute frequencies. But during the night, too, links will be provided with buses at least every half hour. This is the result of a deal between KVB, the public transportation company of Cologne, and the organizers of WYD. The deal means a substantial increase of local transport, to which is added the laying on of a shuttle bus service to and from the Marienfeld during the weekend of 21-22 August, with 2,200 buses. The German railways (Deutsche Bahn) for their part are offering special discounted fares for groups participating in WYD: from 10 to 23 August, groups of between 6 and 80 persons travelling to Cologne, Bonn, Bonn-Beuel, Düsseldorf, Düren and Horrem can cross Germany with tariffs starting from 29 Euro. For large groups of 500 and over it is also possible to organize a special train for Marienfeld. Further information on timetables and tariffs is contained on the official site of the Deutsche Bahn www.bahn.de. Lastly, for those travelling by air, the air company HLX, official partner of WYD for European travel, is offering a range of low-cost flights. Groups may benefit from special tariffs or even charter a whole plane. Consult the webpage www.hlx.com/weltjugendtag. A LABYRINTH OF PEACE BRICKS. The draft projects of 22 dioceses have been inserted in the data bank of “underconstruction”, the day of social commitment, due to be held during WYD. Osnabrück leads the way with 111 projects. For each project, the action groups in question must bring a brick to construct a “civilization of love and justice”. All the bricks contributed will be used to build a labyrinth, Christian symbol of man’s journey to Christ, in the Haus Altenburg as a memento of the event.