Your "personal participation" and your "tireless commitment" have made "these four days an unforgettable event". These were the words of Cardinal Karl Lehmann, President of the German Bishops’ Conference, thanking, on behalf of the German bishops, Pope Benedict XVI for his participation in the WYD in Cologne. "The journey of the Cross of the WYD and of the icon of Mary through our cities and our country added Cardinal Lehmann, during the meeting of the Pope with the German bishops aroused in many of us a deepening of the faith, reflection on one’s belonging to the Church and new readiness to be witnesses in an environment which is more and more secularized and in an atmosphere of religious indifference". Lehmann assured, on behalf of the dioceses and the German Bishops’ Conference, that there would be a "commitment for renewal in christian life in families, in parishes, in church communities and in associations". Lastly, the cardinal thanked eveybody who contributed towards the success of the great event in Cologne.
