(from our correspondents in Sydney) "We are very fortunate in being among the first countries to have received a visit from no less than three popes: Paul VI, John Paul II and, now, Benedict XVI. Today we are the centre of Catholicism, with the presence of the Pope, numerous bishops, priests, and especially so many young people" who are "the future of the Church", said the Most Rev. Anthony Fisher of the Archdiocese of Sydney, bishop coordinator of WYD, in Sydney this morning, expressing the joy of the Australian Church for the event that it is about to experience. "We hope he added that this World Youth Day may bring back Australian youth to the Church", and that one day they’ll become the protagonists of "a better Church for a better world". At the present time "pilgrims full of joy are arriving in Sydney and throughout the country", observed Bishop Fisher. He also announced that in the culminating moments of WYD the opening mass at Barangaroo, the Via Crucis and the final mass at Randwich a participation of some 500,000 persons is anticipated. At the moment, those officially registered, explains the WYD organization, are approximately 250,000, but "new pilgrims asking to be enrolled are continually arriving by day and by night".
