Benedict XVI entered Saint Peter’s Square, welcomed by African songs and dances, as he met for the very first time the young Romans, who had gathered here in the run-up to the XXI World Youth Day, that will be celebrated by the dioceses all over the world next Palm Sunday. After the personal greetings to the artists and the other guests of the event, some young people presented him with a chasuble and told their testimonies. The Cross of the WYD, carried on the shoulders by the young of Cologne, was then handed over to the young of Sidney, entering the Square along with the Marian icon of Salus Populi Romani, which since 2004 has been on a pilgrimage through the world along with the Cross. The focus of the meeting were the questions that some young people asked the Pope, which he answered by speaking off the cuff. Simone, 21, chemistry student, asked the Holy Father how to recognise "that what I read is still the Word of God approaching my life?". Benedict XVI recommended "that the Scriptures be read as if they were a conversation with God, by praying, asking the Lord for help", with "the help of masters" who "are experienced in faith" and know the Scriptures well, and here he mentioned the books written by cardinal Carlo Maria Martini. The Pope also suggested them they should be "led by fellow travellers, in the great company of the people of God, on a pilgrimage through the Church". In this way, he said, the events of the Scriptures "become present again, really with us today".
