Cardinal Simonis, President of the Dutch Bishops’ Conference, has announced a savings plan for Dutch youngsters who intend to participate in the next World Youth Day (WYD), due to be held in Sydney, Australia, in 2008. The initiative is also presented on the website www.jongkatholiek.nl: anyone who participates could win a free trip to Sydney. The youth who participate will be provided with a bank account into which they can pay money before the trip and receive a high but variable interest rate on their savings, around 3.5%, adjusted twice yearly according to the trend of Euribor; they will also be given a bonus of 100 euros by the Dutch bishops as a contribution towards their travel expenses. The initiative is being sponsored by the Dutch Catholic tour operator VNB and the Pax Bank, which was already involved in the WYD in Cologne. In the ‘spot’ for the venture, shown on the website, we see a kangaroo arriving on a scooter at the archbishop’s residence, ringing the bell and being received by Cardinal Simonis at the door, where the two stop to chat about the initiative. The kangaroo points out that the young will have to save a lot before travelling out to Australia: the round trip will cost some 2000 euros, but the cardinal is confident that the young will participate in large numbers. A Catholic youth day is due to be held in Niewegein on 5 November.
