24
Twenty Four young adults will be confirmed by Pope Benedict at World Youth Day next month. Very cool
Pope Benedict XVI will confirm 24 young people at the World Youth Day Final Mass near Sydney on Sunday July 20, it has been announced.
Twenty-four candidates for confirmation, 14 Australians and ten people from other countries, will receive the sacrament that marks the completion of baptismal grace through Pope Benedict.
“It’s not every day that one is confirmed by the global leader of the Catholic Church before hundreds of thousands of people,” said World Youth Day 2008 Coordinator, Bishop Anthony Fisher OP.
“The sacrament is life changing and to receive the sacrament in this way will prove an unforgettable experience, one that they will each carry with them for the rest of their lives,” he said.
Bishop Fisher said the Australian candidates were selected as representatives of their regions by bishops across the country. The Australian candidates range in age from 16 to 43 and are from every state and territory.
I haven't seen any new information about the numbers of WYD pilgrim registrations in a while. Anyone know?
posted by Sherry W @ 6:37 AM
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The numbers according to the website are:
125,000 from overseas.
100,000 from the rest of Australia (outside of NSW)
The rest from around Sydney (300,000?) Probably a lot of extras who won't register until the very end, or not at all - as Generation Y like to keep their options open! I think when they see so many from around the world it will create a real buzz. I lived in Sydney before, during and after the Olympics in 2000. It was all doom and gloom before, but the week before the city went berserk with everyone desperate for tickets to events. The city had a real buzz for the 2 weeks. The Olympics attracted a lot less overseas visitors than WYD is on track to have. So my bet the buzz will be big.
I've read that 50,000 special WYD visas have been granted (the governments at commonwealth and state levels have been great - not so good with Sydney City Council). But these will be taken up by those who mainly come from countries with onerous conditions for obtaining Australian visas. For most of the Western world the easiest is obtaining an ETA which gives travel permission very quickly online. It makes sense that the vast bulk of travellers would be from wealthier nations.
Some countries, like PNG, have had a meltdown in trying to issue passports to young people. This has been a problem for our Dominican group from the University of PNG in Port Moresby. It looks as though some won't be able to come because of the bureaucratic nightmare. (I hope they find some key people with the gift of Administration pronto!).
I hope this helps.
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