After greeting the bishops and the representatives of the other churches and ecclesial communities, the Pope wanted to recall his forthcoming meetings in Cologne with the Jewish community and then with the Islamic one. Finally, in recalling the meaning of the Three Wise Men for Cologne itself, he added that, just like these three kings, "all believers, especially the young, are called to face the walk of life in search of the truth, of justice, of love. It is a walk whose final destination can only be reached by finding Christ, a meeting that cannot be accomplished without faith. This inner walk can be helped by the many signs that the long and rich Christian tradition has indelibly left in this land of Germany". He specified that it is "an extremely rich cultural and spiritual heritage, which still today, in the heart of Europe, bears witness to the fecundity of the Christian faith and tradition". And after mentioning monuments, works of art and folklore traditions, the Pope offered a list of saints, holding them up as "models" and "patrons" of the WYD: Ursula, Albert the Great, Edith Stein, Adolph Kolping.
