SPECIAL: WYD – SYDNEY

Papa deixa mensagem em favor do ambiente

"Primeiro compromisso oficial na Austrália marcado pela preocupação com o futuro da humanidade Bento XVI iniciou esta Quinta-feira os compromissos oficiais da visita à Austrália, tendo deixado desde logo um apelo em favor da defesa do ambiente.

“As maravilhas da criação de Deus recordam-nos a necessidade de proteger o ambiente, realizando uma administração responsável dos bens da terra. A tal respeito, apraz-me notar que a Austrália se empenha seriamente em assumir a responsabilidade que lhe cabe no cuidado do ambiente natural”, disse o Papa na cerimónia de boas-vindas que teve lugar na casa oficial do governador de Sidney.

"Atendendo aos numerosos milhares de jovens que visitam a Austrália nestes dias, é imperioso reflectir sobre o género de mundo que estamos a entregar às futuras gerações”, sublinhou.
….
O Papa aproveitou a ocasião para explicar o sentido do maior encontro juvenil do mundo católico, que a Austrália acolhe por estes dias: “Desde a primeira Jornada Mundial da Juventude, em 1986, ficou patente que um grande número de jovens aprecia a oportunidade de se encontrar para juntos aprofundarem a própria fé em Cristo e partilharem uns com os outros uma jubilosa experiência de comunhão na sua Igreja”.

“Para mim, é uma alegria estar com eles, rezar com eles e celebrar a Eucaristia juntamente com eles. A Jornada Mundial da Juventude enche-me de confiança no futuro da Igreja e no futuro do mundo de todos nós”, confessou".

(In Agência Ecclesia)

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Asian Pilgrims Celebrate Faith, Culture

10,000 Gather at Olympic Park

"SYDNEY, Australia, JULY 17, 2008 (Zenit.org).- More than 10,000 World Youth Day pilgrims from Asia gathered Wednesday for a concert at Olympic Park for the Fifth Asian Youth Gathering.

The event organized by the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences included music, testimonies and prayers in English, Mandarin and Cantonese. The gathering was titled www.sgen.asianyouth, which is not an Internet address, but shorthand for Witnessing Worldwide. Spirit Generation. Asian Youth.

According to the organizers, the meeting highlighted the richness of Asian heritage through cultural presentations from the participating countries. The first Asian Youth Gathering was held at the World Youth Day in Paris in 1997.

The occasion was quite a spectacle, with thousands of young people -- many dressed in their native costume -- waving banners and flags of their various countries of origin.

"To be here in Sydney helps us to see that, in the world, Catholics -- though coming from very different countries -- truly have only one faith and one Church," said young Pun Ming Chi, 22, seminarian from Hong Kong, told the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano.

Hong Kong, he said, is a multi-cultural reality, where respect for Catholics -- who in any case are a small minority -- does exist and where liberty is guaranteed. "But certainly this experience, which I am living in Australian land, will give me further strength to live the faith in my country," he added.

Hopes for China

Asked what he hopes for, he replied smiling: "That sooner or later a World Youth Day might be organized in Beijing. For us Catholics, it would be an occasion to celebrate our faith freely, united to other young Catholics of the rest of the continent and of the whole world."

Among those taking part in the celebration were many Asians residing in Australia. In Sydney alone, it is estimated that Asians constitute 3% of the population.

Especially significant is the presence of 1,500 young Vietnamese in Sydney. The community mobilized for the youth event to offer hospitality to the 2,000 Vietnamese who came to World Youth Day. Not only were the young pilgrims welcomed, but they were also given financial aid.

The Philippines has provided the largest number of pilgrims from Asia, with 2,500, while 700 have come from Indonesia and 260 from Japan.

World Youth Day organizers have not released information on the number of pilgrims from China."