"This WYD seems to continue quite well in the spirit of the previous ones and also shows a few new aspects. Note, for instance, that many young people are taking part in it for the first time. This means the reputation of the World Youth Days is relayed by those who go back and has grown over the last few years". Mgr. Jean-Pierre Ricard, archbishop of Bordeaux and President of the French Bishops Conference, outlines the first results of the Cologne’s event, while waiting for tonight’s vigil in Marienfeld and tomorrow’s Mass with the Pope. "We have had a taste of a festive atmosphere, a universal dimension. Boys and girls from different countries meet, get to know each other, want to see Benedict XVI and listen to his message. I also believe the Pope felt welcome and at ease in Cologne over these days. In addition, I felt great spiritual expectation all around; these boys and girls know how to move from the cheerful exaltation to the composed silence that we have experienced for instance in the catecheses". Ricard highlights how "there are boys and girls from different religious backgrounds and with different religious sensitivities, some closer to the Church, some more distant. Of course, the WYD has achieved one first target by offering them a powerful experience for walking towards Christ and rooting their faith". Finally, a thought on the after-WYD period: "Back home, our dioceses, the parish churches, our Christian communities will have to insist on the young pastoral, to provide these young people with opportunities for confrontation and development through faith".
