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The cross emphasizes the centrality and supremacy of Jesus in our lives, in the Church, and in the World Youth Day celebrations.

The crown represents the crown of our La Virgen de la Almudena, the female patron saint of Madrid (San Isidro [St.Isadore] is the male patron saint). According to legend, when the Moors controlled Spain, the Catholics hid this statue of Our Lady within a "fold of a wall" ("almudaina" in Arabic) or in a nearby storage for grain ("almudit"). When Alphonse VI reconquered Madrid, the statue was miraculously discovered, and it is now venerated in Madrid's Cathedral. Supposedly, we are Mary's crown, for the youth of the world will gather with our Holy Father to stand with Mary at the foot of the Cross.

The red M that forms the left half the of the crown is for "Madrid" and "Maria".

According to the designer, Jose Gil-Nogués, "The [logo] has a spontaneous and strong stroke, as the youth of the twenty-first century. It's close, friendly, open, cheerful, casual and positive...The use of a palette of warm colors (red, orange and yellow) transmits an unmistakable warmth and heat, identity of a city like Madrid, Spain as a country. These colors are also a reflection of the warmth of God, 'Trinity of Love.'"

THE POPE, THE MEDIA, AND THE SEXUAL ABUSE SCANDALS
Change Player / Connection SpeedCardinal George Pell, Archbishop of Sydney, speaks about the recent abuse scandals and the accusations against the Pope.

Pope Benedict XVI has come under intense scrutiny over the last few weeks, regarding the sexual abuse scandals. This page seeks to set out the facts, in an attempt to rectify and combat some of the biased and incorrect media coverage that has surrounded this issue. Sexual abuse of children is a horrific crime. No coverage of this issue would be complete without a frank acknowledgement of the errors that have been made in the handling of child sexual abuse cases in the past. Pope Benedict XVI has apologised on behalf of the entire Catholic Church, and met with victims in several countries. At the same time, it is important to recognise the extraordinary efforts that the Church now goes to assist victims of sexual abuse in their healing, to remove offenders from positions of responsibility, and to safeguard children in our institutions and parishes.

What has the Pope done to help victims of sexual abuse?
Pope Benedict has done more than any other Pope in history to clean up this crisis in the Church. He is the first Pope to implement such decisive strategies to actively rid the Church of abuse, and to extend his hand in apology to victims. Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) was the head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith for several years, but had no responsibility for investigating cases of sexual abuse until 2001. Once opening these files, Ratzinger was the first in the Church to deal with the crisis in a serious manner.

In early April 2010, the Vatican released guidelines clarifying the procedures it follows when a priest is accused of sexual abuse. To find out more about these documents, see Zenit’s article here. Pope Benedict XVI has also prepared efficient new measures to prevent sex abuse in the Church, and is expected to present them mid-2010. For more information, see this report from Rome Reports here.

Pope Benedict XVI has openly and sincerely apologised to victims of sexual abuse.
Ireland
United States of America
Canada
Australia
What are the claims against Pope Benedict XVI?
Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI), has been accused of covering up world-wide allegations of child sex abuse by priests. Click below to see the true timeline of events in these particular cases.
Fr Lawrence Murphy, Milwaukee

One such case is that of the American priest Fr Lawrence Murphy, who was found to be abusing deaf children. Here is a clarification of the facts:

During the 1970s, some of the victims of Fr Murphy’s abuse made a complaint to civil authorities. A civil investigation followed, and was eventually dropped. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) was not informed of this case for another 20-years.
In the mid-1990s, the CDF was presented with Fr Murphy’s case for the first time. The CDF was informed of the case as it involved solicitation in the confessional, which is a violation of the Sacrament of Penance outlined in the 1962 document Crimen sollicitationis. This inquiry was unrelated to any civil or criminal proceedings against Fr Murphy, but involved a specific canonical question.

Fr Thomas T. Brundage, Judicial Vicar for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee during the Fr Lawrence Murphy case, has evidence that Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI), was not involved in handling this scandal. Though widely, and occasionally incorrectly, quoted, he was not once contacted by journalists to verify events related to the case that he presided over. You can see Fr Brundage’s column here.
The accusations claiming that Cardinal Ratzinger knew of the case of Fr Lawrence were based on an Italian document containing the records of a meeting, which upon translation, was shown to have been conducted by the then Secretary of the CDF, Archbishop Bertone - Cardinal Ratzinger was not even present at that meeting. See this article here.

Recently there have been reports of a letter signed by Cardinal Ratzinger in 1985, in which he supposedly dismissed a request to laicize a Father Stephen Kiesle, a California priest who had been accused of molesting boys. However, upon looking at the facts behind this case it is clear that:

The letter was part of a long correspondence and has been taken out of context. The full story behind the Pope’s involvement with the 1985 letter, has been clarified in a 2-part feature by the BBC: Part 1 and Part 2.
The letter followed a request from the priest himself for laicization, supported by the bishop. As such it was not a punishment, or part of a canonical process or the civil trial. At this stage, Father Kiesle was already dismissed from pastoral duties during the investigation, and he had no contact with any parishioners or children.

Following Vatican II there was a huge number of such requests, which were granted. However, after the election of Pope John Paul II, these requests were not granted as frequently. Hence Cardinal Ratzinger’s response in the 1985 letter is a request to study the case well before granting the petition.

At the time of writing this letter, Cardinal Ratzinger had no authority to impose a dismissal from the priesthood as a penalty for sex abuse. It was not until 2003, when Cardinal Ratzinger headed the CDF, that special faculties were granted to the congregation to make it easier to dismiss offenders from the priesthood.
Father Kiesle was dismissed from the Priesthood altogether in 1987 at the completion of the investigation.

Celibacy and the priesthood – is there a connection?
In the light of these scandals, there have been claims that there is a connection between the celibacy of the Catholic priesthood, and paedophilic tendencies. There is absolutely no connection between the state of celibacy and those that commit sexual abuse. Catholic priests are not more likely to be paedophiles than other groups of men.

Paedophilia is a particular type of compulsive sexual disorder in which an adult abuses pre-pubescent children. The vast majority of clerical sex-abuse scandals do not involve paedophilia, but rather ephebophilia – homosexual attraction to adolescent boys. Dr. Thomas Plante, a psychologist at Santa Clara University, found that "80-90% of all priests who in fact abuse minors have sexually engaged with adolescent boys, not prepubescent children." 'Sexual Abuse in Social Context: Catholic Clergy and Other Professionals'
Celibacy has no causal relation to disordered sexual desires, such as paedophilia or ephebophilia. Married men are just as likely as celibate priests to sexually abuse children. In fact psychiatrist Manfred Luetz states: "The father of a family is 36 times more likely to abuse than a celibate priest."

'Does Celibacy contribute to Child Sex Abuse?'
Neither being Catholic nor being celibate predisposes someone to develop paedophilia or ephebophilia. There are many non-Catholic and/or married men who suffer the same condition.

Statistics about the prevalence of sexual abuse show that perpetrators can be broken down into:
Family friends and acquaintances: 28%
Relatives (uncles and cousins): 18%
Stepfathers: 12 %
Male siblings: 10%
Biological fathers: 10%
Boyfriends of the child’s mother: 9%
Grandfathers and stepgrandfathers: 7%
Strangers: 4%
(Wade F. Horn, clinical psychologist, reporting on research done at the John Hopkins University of Public Health, 2001. 'Sexual Abuse in Social Context: Catholic Clergy and Other Professionals')
For more about the supposed connection between celibacy and the sexual abuse, see: '10 Myths about Priestly Paedophilia'.
For more on the history of celibacy and the priesthood, see 'Training for Priestly Celibacy' .

How does the Church handle allegations of sexual abuse? What is the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith?
The Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith (CDF) is responsible for investigating delicta graviora, which are crimes considered the most serious by the Catholic Church, and include: crimes against the Eucharist, crimes against the sanctity of the Sacraments of Penance, and crimes against the 6th commandment (Thou Shall Not Commit Adultery) committed by a cleric against persons under the age of 18.

Prior to 2001, allegations of sexual abuse were handled locally, at a diocesan level. The length of time it took to deal with the cases, and the increasing size of the problem led to Pope John Paul II asking Cardinal Ratzinger and the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith to take over cases of sexual abuse in 2001. Pope John Paul II also announced that the statute of limitations on delicta graviora be revoked upon requests from bishops.

When a priest is accused of sexual abuse, the bishop has the obligation to investigate. The Church now emphasises that all Bishops must cooperate with civil authorities. If the initial investigation is consistent with the charges brought against the priest, the bishop must refer the case to the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith.

Have there been improvements in the way the Church handles allegations of sexual abuse?
Since Cardinal Ratzinger and the CDF assumed responsibility for the handling of these cases in 2001, they are now being handled faster and more efficiently. With strict guidelines and protocols implemented by all parishes and dioceses, the Catholic Church is today one of the safest place for children.

Over the last few years the reported incidents of sexual abuse have drastically declined. In 2009 the US Catholic bishops’ annual audit included only 6 new allegations of clerical abuse of children younger than 18 – in a Church of over 65 million members. Worldwide, an average of 250 cases were reported.
For more detail about the role of the CDF, and the procedures undertaken, read an interview with Msgr. Charles Scicluna (current head of the CDF) here: 'Strictness of the Church in Cases of Paedophilia', and see also 'Guide to Understanding Basic CDF Procedures Concerning Sexual Abuse Allegations'.

Why is it always the Catholic Church?
It can seem that the Catholic Church is the only organisation that is accused of sexual abuse, and that this problem is particularly endemic to the Catholic clergy. This is not true.
"We don't see the Catholic Church as a hotbed of this or a place that has a bigger problem than anyone else," said Ernie Allen, president of the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children. "I can tell you without hesitation that we have seen cases in many religious settings, from travelling evangelists to mainstream ministers to rabbis and others." (Quoted in 'Mean Men').

Reasons include:
The Catholic Church has been the only religious organisation to make data concerning sexual abuse public, including commissioning and paying for reports into incidents of sexual abuse amongst the clergy, such as 'The Nature and Scope of the Problem of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Catholic Priests and Deacons', conducted by the John Jay College.
Sheer size: the Catholic Church is the second largest single denomination in the world. Thus, if compared to other religions in a per capita manner, rates of sexual abuse reported would be comparable.

The Catholic Church has a high media profile: "It draws the mainstream media's ire because, in a world increasingly characterised by moral relativism, it continue to teach enduring moral rules that don’t shift with cultural fashions." (Katherine Kerston, 'The Media Fires Up Its Inquisition').

Responsible Media Coverage
The response of the press to these events has been overwhelming. Below is a comprehensive list of news articles that show fair, quality reporting.

The Catholic Herald, 'The Pope and the Abuse Scandal: A Guide for Perplexed Catholics' – accusations, media response explanation John L. Allen, 'Keeping the Record Straight on Benedict and the Crisis' – accusations, media coverage
Fr Raymond De Souza, 'A Critic Blinded By Hatred' - Christopher Hitchens, the Kiesle case.
Fr Raymond De Souza, 'The Pope and the Press' - The New York Times coverage
George Weigel, 'The Scoundrel Time(s)' – The New York Times coverage
George Weigel, 'The End of Euphemism' – Irish apology letter, Pope Benedict XVI
Sean Murphy, 'A Response to Christopher Hitchen's Article in Slate "The Great Catholic Coverup" (in full, with over 80 references)' – Christopher Hitchens, Crimen Sollicitationis
Edward Mechmann, 'Questions The Times Never Asked' - The New York Times Coverage. All blog entries are worth a look, from the Archdiocese of New York.
Jimmy Akin, 'Cardinal Ratzinger an Evil Monster?' – Milwaukee, the CDF, Fr Murphy, primary documents
Fr. Joseph Fession S.J, 'Let's Get the Story Straight: Defrocking and Divorce' – defrocking, laicization, Cardinal Ratzinger, 1985 letter
Fr Federico Lombardi, 'For Love of the Truth' – media, Vatican response
Brendan O'Neill, 'The Secular Inquisition' - atheists, secularism, Hitchens, Dawkins
Jack Valero, 'Message to the Lynch Mob: The Pope is Innocent' - resignation of Benedict XVI, Britain, atheists

Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave today before praying the midday Regina Caeli. The Pope is on a one-day trip to Turin.

As we come to the conclusion of this solemn celebration, we offer a prayer to Mary Most Holy, who in Turin is venerated as the principal patroness with the title Blessed Virgin of Consolation. To her I entrust this city and all those who live here. O Mary, watch over the families and the workers; watch over those who have lost faith and hope; comfort the sick, those in prison and all who suffer. O Help of Christians, sustain the young people, the elderly and persons in difficulty. O Mother of the Church, watch over her pastors and the whole community of believers, that they may be “salt and light” in the midst of the world.
The Virgin Mary is she who more than any other contemplated God in the human face of Jesus. She saw him as a newborn when, wrapped in swaddling clothes, he was placed in a manger; she saw him when, just after his death, they took him down from the cross, wrapped him in linen and placed him in the sepulcher. Inside her was impressed the image of her martyred Son; but this image was then transfigured in the light of the Resurrection. Thus in Mary’s heart was carried the mystery of the face of Christ, a mystery of death and of glory. From her we can always learn how to look upon Jesus with a gaze of love and of faith, to recognize in that human countenance, the Countenance of God.
To Mary Most Holy I entrust with gratitude those who worked to make my visit possible as well as the display of the Shroud. I pray for them and that these events might bring about a profound spiritual renewal.

A decade in the making -- and after an oft-contentious process that's been both praised and panned... and, on all sides, pored over intensely throughout -- it's now official: the complete revision of the Roman Missal in English is an impending reality of church life.

Within the hour, a Vatican source relayed definitive word that the new rendering of 2002's third Missale Romanum -- the first vernacular text to be universally employed across the Anglophone world -- has received the recognitio (confirmation) of the Holy See.

The work's final approval for liturgical use given in a decree dated 25 March, news of the move was first shared privately yesterday by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. A formal announcement is expected shortly in the customary end-of-meeting communiqué of the CDW's Vox Clara Committee, the blue-ribbon group of English-speaking prelates which has played the clearinghouse role on edits and revisions to the forthcoming translation.

Intended as a more faithful rendering of the Latin editio typica (the liturgy's binding text), the path to today's move dates to 2001, when the CDW instruction Liturgiam authenticam mandated new norms, overturning the post-Conciliar translation policy of "dynamic equivalence" in favor of an improved adherence to the Latin original.

Though the bulk of the reworked Mass-prayers, including the propers of seasons and saints, is still to emerge in its definitive form (known as the "White Book"), Rome granted recognitio to the new Missal's most familiar and consequential element, the standard Order of Mass (OM1), in 2008, permitting its early publication to provide a grace period to prepare musical settings and catechetical efforts to ease the significant change from the various English translations which've gone essentially unchanged for nearly four decades. (Underscoring the long trail of tensions the project has incited, CDW pointedly granted the OM1 confirmation in the dead of Roman summer, days after the US bishops became the lone body of the 11 Anglophone benches to gibbet a major piece of the new translation; once the Vatican reinforced its support for the project, however, the failed Proper of Seasons was approved on a USCCB re-vote four months later.)

As noted previously, with the Holy See's climactic part of the process now complete, the focus returns to the 11 Anglophone bishops' conferences, each of which is charged with disseminating the finished product within its jurisdiction, coordinating the preparatory programs and, above all, fixing the new Missal's implementation date within their proper territory.

While these will vary slightly from country to country, most observers expect the new book to "sunrise" at or around Advent 2011. And with Vox Clara's major project now handled, the commission is widely anticipated to take on a similar overhaul of another significant plank of English-language worship, with the Liturgy of the Hours or sacramental rites leading the on-deck buzz.

The Passion of Pope Benedict. Six Accusations, One Question
Pedophilia is only the latest weapon aimed against Joseph Ratzinger. And each time, he is attacked where he most exercises his leadership role. One by one, the critical points of this pontificate

ROME, April 7, 2010 – The attack striking pope Joseph Ratzinger with the weapon of the scandal posed by priests of his Church is a constant of this pontificate.

It is a constant because every time, on different terrain, striking Benedict XVI means striking the very man who has worked and is working, on that same terrain, with the greatest foresight, resolve, and success.

The tempest that followed his lecture in Regensburg on September 12, 2006 was the first of the series. Benedict XVI was accused of being an enemy of Islam, and an incendiary proponent of the clash of civilizations. The very man who with singular clarity and courage had revealed where the ultimate root of violence is found, in an idea of God severed from rationality, and had then told how to overcome it.

The violence and even killings that followed his words were the sad proof that he was right. But the fact that he had hit the mark was confirmed above all by the progress in dialogue between the Catholic Church and Islam that was seen afterward – not in spite of, but because of the lecture in Regensburg – and of which the letter to the pope from the 138 Muslim intellectuals and the visit to the Blue Mosque in Istanbul were the most evident and promising signs.

With Benedict XVI, the dialogue between Christianity and Islam, as with the other religions as well, is today proceeding with clearer awareness about what makes distinctions, by virtue of faith, and what can unite, the natural law written by God in the heart of every man.

A second wave of accusations against Pope Benedict depicts him as an enemy of modern reason, and in particular of its supreme expression, science. The peak of this hostile campaign was reached in January of 2008, when professors forced the pope to cancel a visit to the main university of his diocese, the University of Rome "La Sapienza."

And yet – as previously in Regensburg and then in Paris at the Collège des Bernardins on September 12, 2008 – the speech that the pope intended to give at the University of Rome was a formidable defense of the indissoluble connection between faith and reason, between truth and freedom: "I do not come to impose the faith, but to call for courage for the truth."

The paradox is that Benedict XVI is a great "illuminist" in an age in which the truth has so few admirers and doubt is in command, to the point of wanting to silence the truth.

A third accusation systematically hurled at Benedict XVI is that he is a traditionalist stuck in the past, an enemy of the new developments brought by Vatican Council II.

His speech to the Roman curia on December 22, 2005 on the interpretation of the Council, and in 2007 on the liberalization of the ancient rite of the Mass, are thought to be the proofs in the hands of his accusers.

In reality, the Tradition to which Benedict XVI is faithful is that of the grand history of the Church, from its origins until today, which has nothing to do with a formulaic attachment to the past. In the speech to the curia just mentioned, to exemplify the "reform in continuity" represented by Vatican II, the pope recalled the question of religious freedom. To affirm this completely – he explained – the Council had to go back to the origins of the Church, to the first martyrs, to that "profound patrimony" of Christian Tradition which in recent centuries had been lost, and was found again thanks in part to the criticism of Enlightenment-
style reason.

As for the liturgy, if there is an authentic perpetuator of the great liturgical movement that flourished in the Church between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, from Prosper Guéranger to Romano Guardini, it is precisely Ratzinger himself.

A fourth terrain of attack runs along the same lines as the previous one. Benedict XVI is accused of derailing ecumenism, of putting reconciliation with the Lefebvrists ahead of dialogue with the other Christian confessions.

But the facts say the opposite. Since Ratzinger has been pope, the journey of reconciliation with the Eastern Churches has taken extraordinary steps forward. Both with the Byzantine Churches that look to the ecumenical patriarchate of Constantinople, and – most surprisingly – with the patriarchate of Moscow.

And if this has happened, it is precisely because of the revived fidelity to the grand Tradition – beginning with that of the first millennium – that is one characteristic of this pope, in addition to being the soul of the Eastern Churches.

On the side of the West, it is again love of Tradition that is driving persons and groups of the Anglican Communion to ask to enter the Church of Rome.

While with the Lefebvrists, what is blocking their reintegration is precisely their attachment to past forms of Church and of doctrine erroneously identified with perennial Tradition. The revocation of the excommunication of four of their bishops, in January of 2009, did nothing to the state of schism in which they remain, just as in 1964 the revocation of excommunications between Rome and Constantinople did not heal the schism between East and West, but made possible a dialogue aimed at unity.

The four Lefebvrist bishops whose excommunication Benedict XVI lifted included Englishman Richard Williamson, an antisemite and Holocaust denier. In the liberalized ancient rite, there is even a prayer that the Jews "may recognize Jesus Christ as savior of all men."

These and other facts have helped to feed a persistent protest by the Jewish world against the current pope, with significant points of radicalism. And it is a fifth terrain of accusation.

The latest weapon of this protest was a passage from the sermon given at Saint Peter's Basilica on Holy Friday, in the pope's presence, by the preacher of the pontifical household, Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa. The incriminating passage was a citation from a letter written by a Jew, but in spite of this the uproar was aimed exclusively at the pope.

And yet, nothing is more contradictory than to accuse Benedict XVI of enmity with the Jews.

Because no other pope before him ever went so far in defining a positive vision of the relationship between Christianity and Judaism, while leaving intact the essential division over whether or not Jesus is the Son of God. In the first volume of his "Jesus of Nazareth" published in 2007 – and close to being completed by the second volume – Benedict XVI wrote splendid pages in this regard, in dialogue with a living American rabbi.

And many Jews effectively see Ratzinger as a friend. But in the international media, it's another matter. There it is almost exclusively "friendly fire" that rains down. From Jews attacking the pope who best understands and loves them.

Finally, a sixth accusation – very current – against Ratzinger is that he "covered up" the scandal of priests who sexually abused children.

Here too, the accusation is against the very man who has done more than anyone, in the Church hierarchy, to heal this scandal.

With positive effects that can already be seen here and there. Particularly in the United States, where the incidence of the phenomenon among the Catholic clergy has diminished significantly in recent years.

But where the wound is still open, as in Ireland, it was again Benedict XVI who required the Church of that country to put itself in a penitential state, on a demanding path that he traced out in an unprecedented pastoral letter last March 19.

The fact is that the international campaign against pedophilia has just one target today, the pope. The cases dug up from the past are always intended to be traced back to him, both when he was archbishop of Munich and when he was prefect of the congregation for the doctrine of the faith, plus the Regensburg appendix for the years during which the pope's brother, Georg, directed the cathedral children's choir.

The six terrains of accusation against Benedict XVI just referred to bring up a question.

Why is this pope so under attack, from outside of the Church but also from within, in spite of his clear innocence with respect to the accusations?

The beginning of an answer is that he is systematically attacked precisely for what he does, for what he says, for what he is.

Dear Brothers and Sisters!

We are gathered around the altar, near the tomb of the Apostle Peter, to offer the Eucharistic sacrifice for the eternal repose of the chosen soul of Venerable John Paul II, on the fifth anniversary of his death. We do so a few days early, because this year April 2 is Good Friday. We are, in any case, in Holy Week -- a context that is much more propitious for recollection and prayer, in which the Liturgy makes us relive more intensely the last days of Jesus' earthly life. I wish to express my gratitude to all of you who are taking part in this Mass. I greet cordially the cardinals -- in a special way Archbishop Stanislao Dziwisz -- the bishops, priests, men and women religious, as well as the pilgrims gathered purposely from Poland, and so many young people and numerous faithful who did not want to miss this celebration.

In the first biblical reading that was proclaimed, the prophet Isaiah presents the figure of a "servant of God," who is at the same time his chosen one, in whom he is well pleased. The servant will act with unbreakable firmness, with an energy that does not fail until he has realized the task that was assigned to him. However, he will not have at his disposition those human means that seem indispensable to act on such a grandiose plane. He will present himself with the force of conviction, and it will be the Spirit that God has put in him that will give him the capacity to act with meekness and strength, assuring him of final success.

That which the inspired prophet says of the servant, we can apply to our beloved John Paul II: the Lord called him to his service and, in entrusting to him tasks of ever greater responsibility, also accompanied him with his grace and his continual assistance. During his long Pontificate, he spent himself in proclaiming the law with firmness, without weakness or hesitation, above all when he had to face resistance, hostility and rejection. He knew he was taken by the hand of the Lord, and this enabled him to exercise a very fecund ministry, for which, once again, we give fervid thanks to God.

The Gospel just proclaimed takes us to Bethany, where, as the evangelist notes, Lazarus, Martha and Mary offered a supper to the Master (John 12:1). This banquet in the home of three friends of Jesus is characterized by presentiments of imminent death: the six days before Passover, the suggestion of the traitor Judas, Jesus' reply that recalls one of the pious acts of burial anticipated by Mary, the hint that they will not always have him with them, the intention to eliminate Lazarus, in which is reflected the will to kill Jesus.

In this evangelical account, there is a gesture to which I wish to draw your attention: Mary of Bethany "took a pound of costly ointment of pure nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair" (12:3). Mary's gesture is the expression of great faith and love toward the Lord: for her it was not enough to wash the feet of the Master with water, but she spreads them with a great quantity of precious perfume that -- as Judas will argue -- could have been sold for three hundred denari; she does not, thus, anoint the head, as was the custom, but the feet: Mary offers Jesus all that she has that is most precious and with a gesture of profound devotion. Love does not calculate, does not measure, is not concerned about expenses, puts no barriers, but is able to give with joy, seeks only the other's good, overcomes stinginess, miserliness, resentment, the narrow-mindedness that man bears at times in his heart.

Mary places herself at Jesus' feet in a humble attitude of service, as the Master himself will do in the Last Supper, when -- the fourth Gospel tells us -- he "rose from supper, laid aside his garments, and girded himself with a towel. Then he poured water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples feet" (John 13:4-5), because, he says, "you also should do as I have done to you" (v. 15): the rule of Jesus' community is that of love that is able to serve to the point of giving one's life.

And the perfume spreads: "and the house was filled," notes the evangelist, "with the fragrance of the ointment" (John 12:3). The meaning of Mary's gesture, which is a response to the infinite love of God, is diffused among all the guests; every gesture of charity and of genuine devotion to Christ does not remain a personal event, does not concern only the relationship between the individual and the Lord, but concerns the whole body of the Church, it is contagious: It infuses love, joy, light.

"He came to his own home, and his own people received him not" (John 1:11): Contrasted with Mary's act are the words and attitude of Judas that, under the pretext of the help to be given to the poor, hides egoism and the falsehood of the man shut-in on himself, chained by the greed of possession, who does not let himself be enveloped by the good perfume of divine love. Judas calculates where one cannot calculate, he enters with a mean spirit where the space is one of love, of gift, of total dedication. And Jesus, who up to that moment has been silent, intervenes in favor of Mary's gesture: "Let her alone, let her keep it for the day of my burial" (John 12:7).

Jesus understands that Mary intuited the love of God and indicates that now his "hour" is drawing close, the "hour" in which Love will find its supreme expression on the wood of the cross: the Son of God gives himself, so that man can have life, he descends into the abyss of death to take man to the heights of God, he is not afraid to humble himself "and become obedient unto death, even death on a cross" (Philippians 2:8). In the sermon in which he comments on this evangelical passage, St. Augustine addresses to each one of us, with pressing words, the invitation to enter into this circuit of love, imitating Mary's gesture and putting ourselves concretely in the following of Jesus. Augustine writes: "Every soul that wishes to be faithful, unites itself to Mary to anoint with precious perfume the feet of the Lord. [...] Anoint the feet of Jesus: Follow the footprints of the Lord by leading a worthy life. Dry his feet with your hair: If there is something superfluous, give it to the poor, and you will have dried the feet of the Lord" (In Ioh. evang., 50, 6).

Dear brothers and sisters! The whole life of the Venerable John Paul II unfolded in the sign of this charity, of this capacity to give himself in a generous way, without reservations, without measure, without calculation. What moved him was love for Christ, to whom he had consecrated his life, a superabundant and unconditional love. It is precisely because he drew ever closer to God in love, that he was able to make himself a fellow wayfarer with the man of today, spreading in the world the perfume of the love of God. Whoever had the joy of knowing and frequenting him, was able to touch with the hand how alive was in him the certainty "of contemplating the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living," as we heard in the Responsorial Psalm (26/27:13); a certainty that accompanied him in the course of his existence and that, in a particular way, was manifested during the last period of his pilgrimage on this earth: the progressive physical weakness, in fact, never affected his rock-like faith, his luminous hope, his fervent charity. He let himself be consumed by Christ, for the Church, for the whole world: his was a suffering lived to the end for love and with love.

In the homily for the 25th anniversary of his Pontificate, he confided having felt strongly in his heart, at the moment of the election, Jesus' question to Peter: "Do you love me? Do you love me more than these ...? " (John 21:15-16); and he adds: "Every day within my heart the same dialogue takes place between Jesus and Peter. In spirit, I fix my gaze on the benevolent look of the Risen Christ. He, however, aware of my human frailty, encourages me to respond with trust as Peter: "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you" (John 21:17). And then he invites me to assume the responsibility that He himself has entrusted to me" (Oct. 16, 2003). They are words charged with faith and love, love of God, who conquers all."

[In Polish, he said:]

Finally I wish to greet the Poles here present. Many of you have gathered around the tomb of the Venerable Servant of God with a special sentiment, as daughters and sons of the same land, raised in the same culture and spiritual tradition. The life and work of John Paul II, great Pole, can be a reason for pride for you.

However, it is necessary for you to remember that this is also a great call to be faithful witnesses of the faith, the hope and the love, that he taught us uninterruptedly. Through the intercession of John Paul II, may the Lord's blessing always sustain you.

[He continued in Italian]

While we continue the Eucharistic celebration, being on the point of living the glorious days of the Passion, Death and Resurrection of the Lord, let us entrust ourselves with confidence -- following the example of the Venerable John Paul II -- to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, so that she will sustain us in the commitment to be, in every circumstance, tireless apostles of her divine Son and of his merciful Love. Amen!

In the breadth of Jesus' ascent the dimensions of our following of him become visible -- the goal to which he wants to lead us: to the heights of God, to communion with God, to being-with-God. This is the true goal, and communion with him is the way. Communion with Christ is being on a journey, a permanent ascent to the true height of our calling. Journeying together with Jesus is always at the same time a traveling together in the "we" of those who want to follow him. It brings us into this community. Because this journey to true life, to being men conformed to the model of the Son of God Jesus Christ is beyond our powers, this journeying is also always a state of being carried. We find ourselves, so to speak, in a "roped party" with Jesus Christ -- together with him in the ascent to the heights of God. He pulls us and supports us. Letting oneself be part of a roped party is part of following Christ; we accept that we cannot do it on our own. The humble act of entering into the "we" of the Church is part of it -- holding on to the roped party, the responsibility of communion, not letting go of the rope because of our bullheadedness and conceit.

Humbly believing with the Church, like being bound together in a roped party ascending to God, is an essential condition for following Christ. Not acting as the owners of the Word of God, not chasing after a mistaken idea of emancipation -- this is also part of being together in the roped party. The humility of "being-with" is essential to the ascent. Letting the Lord take us by the hand through the sacraments is another part of it. We let ourselves be purified and strengthened by him, we let ourselves accept the discipline of the ascent, even if we are tired.

Finally, we must again say that the cross is part of the ascent toward the height of Jesus Christ, the ascent to the height of God. Just as in the affairs of this world great things cannot be done without renunciation and hard work (joy in great discoveries and joy in a true capacity for activity are linked to discipline, indeed, to the effort of learning) so also the way to life itself, to the realization of one's own humanity is linked to him who climbed to the height of God through the cross. In the final analysis, the cross is the expression of that which is meant by love: Only he who loses himself will find himself.

Let us summarize: Following Christ demands as a first step the reawakening of the nostalgia for being authentically human and thus the reawakening for God. It then demands that one enter into the roped party of those who climb, into the communion of the Church. In the "we" of the Church we enter into the communion with the "Thou" of Jesus Christ and therefore reach the way to God. Moreover, listening to and living Jesus Christ's word in faith, hope and love is also required. We are thus on the way to the definitive Jerusalem and already, from this point forward, we already find ourselves there in the communion of all God's saints.

Our pilgrimage in following Christ, then, is not directed toward any earthly city, but toward the new City of God that grows in the midst of this world. The pilgrimage to the earthly Jerusalem, nevertheless, can be something useful for us Christians for that greater voyage....

Let us return once more to the liturgy of Palm Sunday. The prayer with which the palms are blessed we pray so that in communion with Christ we can bear the fruit of good works. Following a mistaken interpretation of St. Paul, there has repeatedly developed over the course of history and today too, the opinion that good works are not part of being Christian, in any case they would not be significant for man's salvation. But if Paul says that works cannot justify man, he does not intend by this to oppose the importance of right action and, if he speaks of the end of the Law, he does not declare the Ten Commandments obsolete and irrelevant. It is not necessary at the moment to reflect on the whole question that the Apostle was concerned with. It is important to stress that by the term "Law" he does not mean the Ten Commandments, but the complex way of life by which Israel had to protect itself against paganism. Now, however, Christ has brought God to the pagans. This form of distinction was not to be imposed upon them.

Christ alone was given to them as Law. But this means the love of God and neighbor and all that pertains to it. The Ten Commandments read in a new and deeper way beginning with Christ are part of this love. These commandments are nothing other than the basic rules of true love: first of all and as fundamental principle, the worship of God, the primacy of God, which the first three commandments express. They tell us: Without God nothing comes out right. Who this God is and how he is, we know from the person of Jesus Christ. The sanctity of the family follows (fourth commandment), holiness of life (fifth commandment), the ordering of matrimony (sixth commandment), the regulation of society (seventh commandment) and finally the inviolability of the truth (eighth commandment). All of this is of maximum relevance today and precisely also in St. Paul's sense -- if we read all of his letters. "Bear fruit with good works:" At the beginning of Holy Week we pray to the Lord to grant all of us this fruit more and more.

At the end of the Gospel for the blessing of the palms we hear the acclamation with which the pilgrims greet Jesus at the gates of Jerusalem. They are the words of Psalm 118 (117), that originally the priests proclaimed to the pilgrims from the Holy City but that, after a period, became an expression of messianic hope: "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord" (Psalm 118[117]:26; Luke 19:38). The pilgrims see in Jesus the one whom they have waited for, who comes in the name of the Lord, indeed, according to the St. Luke's Gospel, they insert another word: "Blessed is he who comes, the king, in the name of the Lord."

And they follow this with an acclamation that recalls the message of the angels at Christmas, but they modify it in a way that gives pause. The angels had spoken of the glory of God in the highest heavens and of peace on earth for men of divine goodwill. The pilgrims at the entrance to the Holy City say: "Peace in heaven and glory in the highest heavens!" They know well that there is no peace on earth. And they know that the place of peace is in heaven. Thus this acclamation is an expression of a profound suffering and it is also a prayer of hope: May he who comes in the name of the Lord bring to earth what is in heaven. The Church, before the Eucharistic consecration, sings the words of the Psalm with which Jesus is greeted before his entrance into the Holy City: It greets Jesus as the King who, coming from God, enters in our midst in God's name.

Today too this joyous greeting is always supplication and hope. Let us pray to the Lord that he bring heaven to us: God's glory and peace among men. We understand such a greeting in the spirit of the request of the Our Father: "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven!" We know that heaven is heaven, a place of glory and peace, because there the will of God rules completely. And we know that earth is not heaven until the will of God is accomplished on it. So we greet Jesus, who comes from heaven and we pray to him to help us know and do God's will. May the royalty of God enter into the world and in this way it be filled with the splendor of peace. Amen.

Last night I had a marvelous experience talking to a group of more than 300 young people at a Theology on Tap gathering at a bar/restaurant called Metro 53 on East 53rd Street in Manhattan. That might seem like an odd place to gather, but when you think about it, Jesus went to where the people were, and didn’t mind good food, drink and company. (I, of course, behaved myself and only drank water.)

Have you ever heard of Theology on Tap? It began in the Archdiocese of Chicago in 1981, and has spread to many other dioceses across the United States. New York’s program began in 2000. Basically, a group of people – overwhelmingly young adults – gather at a bar to hear a talk by a Catholic speaker, and to share in good Christian fellowship. I asked Mario Bruschi, one of the lay volunteers who helps to organize the events, to tell me a little bit about what Theology on Tap is all about. Here’s what Mario emailed to me.

Our ministry is to provide young adults with an opportunity to explore issues and topics that relate to the Catholic faith in a fun and casual environment. Theology on Tap hosts various talks by both religious and lay speakers to encourage thoughtful discussions and a deeper understanding of the faith. The program operates in complete fidelity to the Magisterium of the Catholic Church. This ministry is a very popular young adult ministry in New York, and many people come away from the talks with a deeper understanding of the Catholic faith and a renewed spirit to evangelize the city. Another aspect of this ministry that is very important is the presence of the priests who come to the talks not only as attendees, but also to hear confessions after the talk is over.

My talk gave a little history of the papacy – timely, I thought, since yesterday was the Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter. (My presentation will be broadcast in the near future on The Catholic Channel on Sirius XM Satellite Radio; I’ll let you know when it’s scheduled.) But, if you want to know more about Theology on Tap, or want to attend an upcoming evening, visit www.totnyc.org for details. I can tell you that next Monday, March 1, Monsignor Bob Ritchie, Rector of Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, will be the guest speaker, talking about “Does God Really Forgive Sins in the Confessional?” – a great topic for this season of Lent.

VATICAN CITY, 4 MAR 2009 (VIS) - The Message of the Holy Father for twenty- fifth World Youth Day has just been published. The Day, which is due to be celebrated in all the dioceses of the world on Palm Sunday 28 March, has as its theme this year: "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

"The present 25th Youth Day represents a stage on the journey towards the next World Youth Day, which will take place in August 2011 in Madrid, Spain, where I hope many of you will come to experience that event of grace.

"To prepare ourselves for this celebration, I would like to suggest some reflections on this year's theme: "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?", taken from the Gospel account of Jesus' meeting with the rich young man, a topic already considered in 1985 by Pope John Paul II in a most beautiful Letter, addressed to young people for the first time".

1. Jesus Meets a Young Man
"The Gospel narrative effectively expresses Jesus' great concern for young people. ... His desire is to meet with you personally and establish a dialogue with each one of you".

2. Jesus Looked at Him and Loved Him
"In the evangelical narrative, St. Mark stresses how 'Jesus looking at him, loved him'. The Lord's gaze was at the core of that very special encounter, and of all Christian experience. In fact, Christianity is not primarily an ethic, but an experience of Jesus Christ Who loves us personally, young and old, poor and rich; He loves us even when we turn our backs on Him".
"The awareness that ... Christ loves everyone and always ... enables us to overcome any trial: ... sins, suffering or discouragement. In this love lies the source of all Christian life and the fundamental reason for evangelisation; for if we have truly found Jesus, we cannot but bear witness to Him to those people who have not yet encountered His gaze".

3. Discovering a Plan for Life
"The rich young man asks Jesus: 'What must I do?' The stage of life you are currently experiencing is a time of discovery: discovery of the gifts that God has lavished on you, and of your responsibilities. It is, moreover, a time of fundamental choices to create a plan for your lives. It is a moment, therefore, to question yourselves about the authentic meaning of existence and to ask: 'Am I satisfied with my life? Is there something lacking?'"
"Do not be afraid to address these questions! ... They await answers, answers that are not superficial but able to satisfy your authentic expectations of life and happiness. To discover the life plan that can make you fully happy, listen to God, Who has a plan of love for each one of you.

4. Come and follow me!
"The Christian vocation springs from a proposal of love from the Lord, and can only be fulfilled through a response of love. ... Dear friends, following the example of so many disciples of Christ, joyfully accept His invitation to follow, in order to live intensely and fruitfully in this world.
"The sadness of the rich young man of the Gospel is that which arises in the heart when a person does not have the courage to follow Christ, to make the right choice. However, it is never too late to respond to Him!
"In this Year for Priests, I would like to exhort boys and young men to be attentive as to whether the Lord is inviting them to a greater gift ... in ordained ministry, and generously and enthusiastically to make themselves ready to accept this sign of special predilection, undertaking with a priest or spiritual director the necessary path of discernment. Do not be afraid, dear young people, if the Lord calls you to the religious, monastic or missionary life, or to a life of special consecration: He is able to give profound joy to those who respond with courage.
"Moreover, I invite all those who feel the vocation to marriage to accept it with faith, committing themselves to laying solid foundations for a love that is great, faithful and open to the gift of life, which is a source of richness and grace for society and the Church".

5. Oriented to Eternal Life
"To ask ourselves about the definitive future awaiting each of us gives full meaning to existence, because it orients our life plan toward horizons that are not limited or fleeting, but broad and profound; horizons which lead us to love the world so loved by God himself, to dedicate ourselves to its development, but always with the freedom and joy born of faith and hope. These horizons help us not to make absolute values of earthly realities, aware that God is opening greater prospects for us. ... Dear young people, I exhort you not to forget this perspective in your own lives: We are called to eternity".

6. The Commandments, the Way of Authentic Love
"Jesus also asks you if you know the commandments, if you are concerned to form your conscience according to divine law and if you will put it into practice. These are certainly questions that go against the tide of the present-day mentality, which presents freedom as disconnected from values, rules and objective norms, and invites us to reject any limitation to momentary desires".
"God gave us the commandments because He wants to educate us to true freedom, because He wants to build with us a Kingdom of love, justice and peace. To listen to them and to put them into practice does not mean to be alienated, but to find the path of authentic freedom and love, because the commandments do not limit happiness, but show how to find it".

7. We Have Need of You
"Young people today find themselves facing many problems arising from unemployment, and from the lack of solid ideals, and of concrete prospects for the future. ... Despite the difficulties, do not let yourselves be discouraged and do not give up your dreams! Rather, cultivate great desires of fraternity, justice and peace in your hearts. The future is in the hands of people who know how to seek and discover powerful reasons for life and hope"
"In my recent Encyclical 'Caritas in Veritate' on integral human development, I listed some of the great modern challenges, which are urgent and essential for the life of this world: the use of the resources of the earth, respect for ecology, the just division of wealth, the control of financial mechanisms, solidarity with poor countries, ... the struggle against hunger in the world, the promotion of the dignity of human work, service to the culture of life, the building of peace between peoples, inter-religious dialogue, and the correct use of the social communications media.

"These are challenges to which you are called to respond in order to build a more just and fraternal world; challenges that call for an exacting and passionate life plan, into which to pour all your richness according to the design that God has for each one of you".
"In this Year for Priests, I invite you to study the lives of the saints, especially those of saintly priests. You will see that God guided them and that they found their path day after day, in faith, hope and love. Christ calls each of you to commit yourselves, with Him, and to assume your responsibilities to build a civilisation of love".

Each year, on the occasion of Lent, the Church invites us to a sincere review of our life in light of the teachings of the Gospel. This year, I would like to offer you some reflections on the great theme of justice, beginning from the Pauline affirmation: "The justice of God has been manifested through faith in Jesus Christ" (cf. Rm 3, 21-22).

First of all, I want to consider the meaning of the term "justice," which in common usage implies "to render to every man his due," according to the famous expression of Ulpian, a Roman jurist of the third century. In reality, however, this classical definition does not specify what "due" is to be rendered to each person. What man needs most cannot be guaranteed to him by law. In order to live life to the full, something more intimate is necessary that can be granted only as a gift: we could say that man lives by that love which only God can communicate since He created the human person in His image and likeness. Material goods are certainly useful and required – indeed Jesus Himself was concerned to heal the sick, feed the crowds that followed Him and surely condemns the indifference that even today forces hundreds of millions into death through lack of food, water and medicine – yet "distributive" justice does not render to the human being the totality of his "due." Just as man needs bread, so does man have even more need of God. Saint Augustine notes: if "justice is that virtue which gives every one his due ... where, then, is the justice of man, when he deserts the true God?" (De civitate Dei, XIX, 21).

The Evangelist Mark reports the following words of Jesus, which are inserted within the debate at that time regarding what is pure and impure: "There is nothing outside a man which by going into him can defile him; but the things which come out of a man are what defile him … What comes out of a man is what defiles a man. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts" (Mk 7, 14-15, 20-21). Beyond the immediate question concerning food, we can detect in the reaction of the Pharisees a permanent temptation within man: to situate the origin of evil in an exterior cause. Many modern ideologies deep down have this presupposition: since injustice comes "from outside," in order for justice to reign, it is sufficient to remove the exterior causes that prevent it being achieved. This way of thinking – Jesus warns – is ingenuous and shortsighted. Injustice, the fruit of evil, does not have exclusively external roots; its origin lies in the human heart, where the seeds are found of a mysterious cooperation with evil. With bitterness the Psalmist recognises this: "Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me" (Ps 51,7). Indeed, man is weakened by an intense influence, which wounds his capacity to enter into communion with the other.

By nature, he is open to sharing freely, but he finds in his being a strange force of gravity that makes him turn in and affirm himself above and against others: this is egoism, the result of original sin. Adam and Eve, seduced by Satan’s lie, snatching the mysterious fruit against the divine command, replaced the logic of trusting in Love with that of suspicion and competition; the logic of receiving and trustfully expecting from the Other with anxiously seizing and doing on one’s own (cf. Gn 3, 1-6), experiencing, as a consequence, a sense of disquiet and uncertainty. How can man free himself from this selfish influence and open himself to love?

At the heart of the wisdom of Israel, we find a profound link between faith in God who "lifts the needy from the ash heap" (Ps 113,7) and justice towards one’s neighbor. The Hebrew word itself that indicates the virtue of justice, sedaqah, expresses this well. Sedaqah, in fact, signifies on the one hand full acceptance of the will of the God of Israel; on the other hand, equity in relation to one’s neighbour (cf. Ex 20, 12-17), especially the poor, the stranger, the orphan and the widow (cf. Dt 10, 18-19). But the two meanings are linked because giving to the poor for the Israelite is none other than restoring what is owed to God, who had pity on the misery of His people. It was not by chance that the gift to Moses of the tablets of the Law on Mount Sinai took place after the crossing of the Red Sea. Listening to the Law presupposes faith in God who first "heard the cry" of His people and "came down to deliver them out of hand of the Egyptians" (cf. Ex 3,8). God is attentive to the cry of the poor and in return asks to be listened to: He asks for justice towards the poor (cf. Sir 4,4-5, 8-9), the stranger (cf. Ex 22,20), the slave (cf. Dt 15, 12-18). In order to enter into justice, it is thus necessary to leave that illusion of self-sufficiency, the profound state of closure, which is the very origin of injustice. In other words, what is needed is an even deeper "exodus" than that accomplished by God with Moses, a liberation of the heart, which the Law on its own is powerless to realize. Does man have any hope of justice then?

The Christian Good News responds positively to man’s thirst for justice, as Saint Paul affirms in the Letter to the Romans: "But now the justice of God has been manifested apart from law … the justice of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction; since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, they are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as an expiation by his blood, to be received by faith" (3, 21-25).

What then is the justice of Christ? Above all, it is the justice that comes from grace, where it is not man who makes amends, heals himself and others. The fact that "expiation" flows from the "blood" of Christ signifies that it is not man’s sacrifices that free him from the weight of his faults, but the loving act of God who opens Himself in the extreme, even to the point of bearing in Himself the "curse" due to man so as to give in return the "blessing" due to God (cf. Gal 3, 13-14). But this raises an immediate objection: what kind of justice is this where the just man dies for the guilty and the guilty receives in return the blessing due to the just one? Would this not mean that each one receives the contrary of his "due"? In reality, here we discover divine justice, which is so profoundly different from its human counterpart. God has paid for us the price of the exchange in His Son, a price that is truly exorbitant. Before the justice of the Cross, man may rebel for this reveals how man is not a self-sufficient being, but in need of Another in order to realize himself fully. Conversion to Christ, believing in the Gospel, ultimately means this: to exit the illusion of self-sufficiency in order to discover and accept one’s own need – the need of others and God, the need of His forgiveness and His friendship. So we understand how faith is altogether different from a natural, good-feeling, obvious fact: humility is required to accept that I need Another to free me from "what is mine," to give me gratuitously "what is His." This happens especially in the sacraments of Reconciliation and the Eucharist. Thanks to Christ’s action, we may enter into the "greatest" justice, which is that of love (cf. Rm 13, 8-10), the justice that recognises itself in every case more a debtor than a creditor, because it has received more than could ever have been expected.

Strengthened by this very experience, the Christian is moved to contribute to creating just societies, where all receive what is necessary to live according to the dignity proper to the human person and where justice is enlivened by love.

Dear brothers and sisters, Lent culminates in the Paschal Triduum, in which this year, too, we shall celebrate divine justice – the fullness of charity, gift, salvation. May this penitential season be for every Christian a time of authentic conversion and intense knowledge of the mystery of Christ, who came to fulfill every justice. With these sentiments, I cordially impart to all of you my Apostolic Blessing.

Father Jacquinet is the head of the youth section of the Pontifical Council for the Laity.

The priest was referring to messages on the themes for the upcoming diocesan and worldwide youth days, which were recently published by the Pope. The themes are: for the 24th World Youth Day (2009): "We Have Set Our Hope on the Living God" (1 Timothy 4:10); for the 25th World Youth Day (2010): "Good Teacher, What Must I do to Inherit Eternal Life?" (Mark 10:17); and for the 26th World Youth Day (2011): "Rooted and Built Up in Jesus Christ, Firm in the Faith" (Colossians 2:7).
In this interview with ZENIT, Father Jacquinet speaks about the themes for the next three youth gatherings and the spirit with which young people can live them.

Q: What "dynamic" do these three topics follow?
Father Jacquinet: Each of these themes has its own logic. The first, for 2009, speaks of hope. The Pope invites young people to enter into true hope, the "great hope" that only Christ can give.
And we receive this hope in the Church. This is vital for young people, within the context of the current social and economic crisis. First of all, because youth is by definition the time of hope: It is the time for plans and the initial education needed in order to enter into life.
Furthermore, young Christians have the mission of being witnesses of hope among their peers. Finally, because in all ages society has benefited from the contribution of youth.
It suffices to look at the impact of young monks in medieval Europe or the work of St. Francis of Assisi. More recently, the youth Frederic Ozanam founded the St. Vincent de Paul Conferences at the age of 20. A great number of young people have participated in the life of our world.
They did so because they had a great hope. They found this hope in Christ, the living God, as St. Paul affirms, after his experience on the road to Damascus. And he would become a passionate witness of this until his death.
The theme for 2010 refers to the rich young man’s question to Jesus: "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" In 2010, we will celebrate the 25th anniversary of John Paul II’s beautiful letter to young people (1985).
This letter was a commentary on this encounter of the rich young man who represents in a certain way all young people -- with Jesus. The question concerns action: "What must I do?"
This theme leads to Christian commitment in the world. And the object of this commitment is "to obtain eternal life."
Thus we understand that this theme is the continuation of the previous one about hope in eternal life.
Lastly, the theme for the Madrid World Youth Day, in 2011, leads to rooting one's faith in Christ.
The Pope often encourages young people to cultivate their Christian faith, to make it mature and solid. He exhorts them to form themselves in order to "give an account of the hope that is in them." Thus it is a real pathway toward Madrid that the Pope offers young Christians, during these three years of preparation.

Q: How can we help youth live these years in our dioceses?
Father Jacquinet: The Pope will address a message to the youth about each one of these themes. The next message will be published at the beginning of 2009.
Young people should read it! The Pope is writing to them. They should discuss this important text.
Furthermore, the Pope encourages the youth of each diocese to get together each year, so as to live World Youth Day in their own country, around Palm Sunday or in another moment. Youth ministry leaders are thus exhorted to organize something according to their possibilities.
But the youth should not wait passively for proposals. Can they not also make plans, present proposals to their bishops, to their priests, to their leaders?

Q: Is there still a future in the Youth Day formula, or is it waning?
Father Jacquinet: The echoes of the last World Youth Days, in Cologne and Sydney, show that the World Youth Day formula is far from waning!
On the contrary, it is developing, and each time it reaches new generations of young people.
The great international gatherings have one similar, general form: a week in a metropolis, with the presence of the Pope, delegations from almost every country, catecheses in the morning, a youth festival that offers diverse expressions of the faith, a Way of the Cross, three speeches by the Holy Father, the highlight being the Saturday vigil and the closing Mass on Sunday.
Before this week, numerous groups make a stop in a nearby diocese, which is also very important: the welcoming of the families and parishes renews the young pilgrims as well as the welcoming dioceses. All of this produces many fruits, through the grace of the Holy Spirit.
These fruits are also linked to the fact that the young people prepare themselves for several months for the Youth Day and that their groups continue afterward.
And it appears that during all these years since 1986, World Youth Days have formed generations of youth, today engaged in the Church, with a harvest of vocations to the priesthood and to the religious life, not to mention the married couples who met at a youth day!
Additionally, World Youth Day has given momentum to youth ministry in many countries worldwide. So the World Youth Day formula still has a brilliant future.

September 15, 2009
Madrid 2011 – Feast of the Triumph of the Cross
Xt3 connects! Social Networking with Fr Roderick
Library Competition

Madrid 2011:
Today marks the Feast of the Triumph of the Cross, and so begins the tour of the cross and icon around Spain! Cardinal Rouco reminds us that the Cross is Christ’s message of love for us. We also have links to the original text of the Cardinal in Spanish and reports on the letter in several languages.

Xt3 connects!
With the emphasis on social networking in gearing up for Madrid 2011, Xt3 was pleased to learn a few lessons from the podcasting priest, Fr Roderick Vanhogen of SQPN fame. Right here in Xt3 headquarters he did a quick interview, then uploaded it onto his blog, and tweeted about it! This inspired Xt3 to start their own Twitter account, so get following! To hear Fr Roderick speak about his trip to Australia, and Xt3, go here!

Library competition:
There are still a few weeks to go until we announce our next library competition winner. Have you submitted an article/video clip/audio file? It's so easy to be in with a chance to win a $AU100 gift voucher. See here for more details on how. Browse through the library, and help build the best Catholic resource ever!

Obama Sets Afternoon Meeting With Pope

VATICAN CITY, JUNE 24, 2009 ).- The Vatican confirmed today Benedict XVI will receive in audience U.S. President Barack Obama next month.

The meeting, set for the afternoon of July 10, will be the first between the Pontiff and the new president.

Obama's Vatican visit will take place within the context of his participation in the Group of Eight summit, which will be held July 8-10 in L'Aquila, Italy.

Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, director of the Vatican press office, said to reporters today that "Benedict XVI is open to receive the president of the United States during the afternoon of July 10."

The decision to set the meeting for the afternoon, which breaks protocol for papal audiences, is due to the president's tight schedule.

Pope: Charity Is the Best Strategy

VATICAN CITY, JUNE 25, 2009 ().- Benedict XVI is underlining charity as the source, standard and strategy of all organizations that serve the Church.

The Pope affirmed this today in an audience with some 70 members of the Assembly of Societies for Aid to Eastern Churches (ROACO), who are meeting in Rome this week.

The Pontiff referred to St. Paul's discussion of charity in his letter to the Corinthians, and emphasized that this is the greatest virtue for followers of Christ.

"Charity is the fertile source of all forms of service to the Church," he stated, "it is their measure, their method and the means by which they are verified."

The Holy Father acknowledged that the members' desire to live in charity, by making themselves "available to the Bishop of Rome" through the Congregation for Eastern Churches.

In this way, he said, "you will be able to continue, even to augment, that movement of charity which, by papal mandate, the congregation supervises so that, in a disciplined and equitable way, the Holy Land and other eastern regions may receive the spiritual and material support necessary for ordinary ecclesial life and for special needs."

In the group's gathering, which took place this week in Rome, participants discussed the situation in the Holy Land and the state of the Catholic Church in Bulgaria.

Witness

Benedict XVI recalled his recent visit to the Holy Land, affirming that there were many moments of grace in which he was able to encourage the Catholic communities there to persevere in giving witness, "a testimony full of fidelity, celebration and at times a great suffering."

He added, "I was also able to remind the Christians of that region of their ecumenical and interreligious responsibility, in the spirit of the Second Vatican Council."

The Pope stated, "I renew my prayer and my appeal for no more war, no more violence, no more injustice."

He continued: "I wish to assure you that the Universal Church remains at the side of all our brothers and sisters who reside in the Holy Land.

"This concern is reflected in a special way in the annual Holy Land collection. I therefore exhort your ROACO agencies to continue their charitable activities with zeal and with fidelity to the Successor of Peter."

The Pope underlined the need to help the Eastern Churches in this economic crisis, paying particular attention to the refugees, the immigrants and the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.

He also highlighted the need for educating the People of God, "especially now that we have just begun the priestly year."

In this Year for Priests, which began June 19, the Pontiff appealed to his listeners to pray for priests and "to give maximum attention to caring for clergy and supporting seminaries."

On the feast of the Sacred Heart, when he inaugurated the year, he said that he "entrusted all the priests of the world to the Heart of Christ and of Mary Immaculate, with a special thought for those who, in both East and West are experiencing moments of difficulty and trial."

Catholic Word Getting Out in Pakistan

LAHORE, Pakistan, JUNE 25, 2009).- Catholic communicators have found their way around Pakistani unwillingness to give airspace to the Church, taking advantage of cable and Internet to broadcast their message.

The first Catholic TV channels in Pakistan are bringing "good results in little time," according to Archbishop Lawrence Saldanha of Lahore, president of the Pakistani episcopal conference's National Center for Social Communications.

Catholic TV is founded and directed by Capuchin Father Morris Jalal from his parish in Lahore. Archbishop Saldanha told UCANews that "although this communication initiative has limited resources, it is a good way to reach not only the faithful, but the public at large."

Father Jalal considers his foundation a way to "help construct and reinforce a peaceful and tolerant society."

Programming includes Christian movies, documentaries on parish activities, talk shows, religious music, Sunday Mass and the rosary; it is estimated that the channel reaches some 8,000 Catholic families.

The Archdiocese of Karachi also launched a Catholic channel via internet this year: Good News TV. It is directed by Father Arthur Charles, who has plans to expand to radio and satellite TV.

"The Church should use the means of communication to spread the Gospel, as well as to educate and form youth," Father Charles told the Fides news agency. "In today's world, communication is incessant: We are bombarded by television, text messages, emails. … In this global village there should be a strong Catholic presence that announces the Word of God."

Father Charles lauded the efforts being made by Benedict XVI to use technology to spread Christ's message, noting, for example, the Vatican channel on YouTube.

"I have felt in perfect harmony with the Pope's message for the World Day of Social Communications," the priest stated, "when he affirms that digital technologies are a gift for humanity that can be useful for spreading solidarity and understanding among people and populations."

"The Lord Has Not Abandoned You"
Apologies, folks -- after a daylong glitch that saw the pages locked up and unable to post, away we go again.

Of course, yesterday's big story took place some 60 miles from Rome as the Pope went to bring solace and hope to Abruzzo, where hundreds were killed, thousands injured and displaced after the 6.3 magnitude Holy Week earthquake rocked the region in Italy's worst natural disaster in three decades.

With the sun struggling to break through thick rain clouds, the pope told survivors it had been his desire to come see them from the very moment the earthquake struck this mountainous central Italian region April 6.

"I would have liked to have gone to every town and every neighborhood, to all the tent cities and to have met everyone if it had been possible," he said under drizzling rain in the makeshift tent encampment a few miles outside L'Aquila....

"Dear friends, my presence among you is meant to be a tangible sign that the crucified and risen Lord has not abandoned you," he said.

He said God is present and not deaf to their cries for help and their worries after having lost their homes, savings, jobs and loved ones.

The pope said those who lost their lives are with God and that they would want to see their surviving friends and relatives go forward with courage and hope.

Efforts must continue and "become a steady and concrete project" so that the city and surrounding towns can rise again, he said.

The pope expressed his concern for the many young people who have been "suddenly forced to tackle a harsh reality," children who can no longer go to school and elderly deprived of their homes.

When the pope finished his remarks, he warmly greeted residents and aid workers. Mothers brought their babies and toddlers to the pope to be blessed.

The pope then rode through the devastated village across a freshly graveled road in a white civil defense minibus....

The pope then went on to L'Aquila to visit the severely damaged Basilica of Santa Maria di Collemaggio.

Surrounded by firefighters wearing helmets, the pope went through the basilica's holy door to venerate the remains of St. Celestine V, a 13th-century pope who abdicated just a few months after his election....

Heaps of debris were still sitting on the floor inside the basilica, and the pope asked the parish priest, "It all collapsed?" The priest replied that it did.

Firefighters warned the papal entourage that it was too dangerous to linger inside.

Father Nunzio Spinelli, the basilica's rector, said the pope told him, "Now that I have seen the damage with my own eyes I can see that it is even worse than I imagined."

The pope then visited the site of a university dormitory that collapsed and claimed eight students' lives.

He met with about a dozen students, blessing them and talking with them. He urged them to continue with their studies because "it's for your future."

The pope told those who were majoring in engineering to help the town build good homes.

Independent investigators are studying why so many recently built buildings gave way during the quake. There have been accusations of builders using shoddy construction materials and not following building codes.

The pope called for everyone "to make a serious examination of conscience" and take responsibility for his or her actions now and in the future.

He also called for an appropriate solution to be found soon for the thousands of people still living in tents.

The pope made the comments during an outdoor gathering at a military school and barracks just outside L'Aquila. It was the same courtyard where a funeral Mass was celebrated April 10 for some 200 victims of the quake.

To an audience that included local bishops, religious men and women, government authorities, aid workers, rescuers and survivors, the pope said he was deeply moved by their hospitality.

He praised their unified and well-coordinated efforts not only for dealing with the disaster and its aftermath quickly and efficiently, but also for having been motivated by love.

Emergency efforts should never just be a well-oiled machine, he said, but should display "soul and passion."

Solidarity with those in crisis gives a sign of hope amid the darkness "like a burning ember hidden beneath the ashes," he said.
On a side-note, as previously noted B16 paid homage before the remains of St Celestine V -- the last Roman pontiff to resign the office -- which are kept at the L'Aquila basilica.

Though the Vatican noted in advance that Benedict would place a "papal pallium" before Celestine's glass casket as a sign of respect, only yesterday did it become clear that the Pope had chosen to leave behind (above) the now-discarded incarnation of the woolen band envisioned by the longtime overseer of papal liturgy Archbishop Piero Marini, who aimed to "restore" the garment's ancient, longer form on the installation of the successor of John Paul II.

After two decades at the pontiff's left hand, Marini was transferred from the Office of Papal Liturgical Celebrations in 2007. Shortly thereafter, his successor Msgr Guido Marini -- no relation -- designed a new "papal pallium" of his own, which Benedict first donned at last year's celebrations for the solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul.

You have come here in great numbers to be with the Successor of Peter, and you represent so many other young people who are one with us in spirit. You have come to join me in proclaiming openly the joy of our faith in Jesus Christ, and in renewing your commitment to be his faithful disciples in our time. A meeting much like this took place here in Luanda on June 7, 1992 with our beloved Pope John Paul II. Today another Pope stands before you: with a different appearance, but with the same love in his heart, and he embraces all of you in Jesus Christ, who is "the same yesterday, today and forever" (Heb 13:8).

First of all I want to thank you for this celebration which you have planned for me, for the festive atmosphere which you yourselves generate, for your presence and for your joy. I cordially greet my brother Bishops and priests and all those who are engaged in youth ministry. I likewise greet with gratitude all who have prepared this event, especially the Bishops' Commission for Young People and Vocations, and its President, Bishop Kanda Almeida, whom I thank for his warm words of welcome. I greet all the young people present, Catholics and others, who are looking for an answer to their questions and difficulties. Some of these have been expressed by your representatives, and I have listened to them with gratitude and appreciation. The embrace I exchanged with them is, naturally, an embrace which I offer to all of you.

Meeting young people is good for everyone! You may have your share of difficulties, but you are filled with great hope, great enthusiasm and a great desire to make a new beginning. My young friends, you hold within yourselves the power to shape the future. I encourage you to look to that future through the eyes of the Apostle John. Saint John tells us: "I saw a new Heaven and a new earth ... and I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of Heaven, from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband; and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Behold the dwelling of God is with men'" (Rev 21:1-3). Dear young people, God makes all the difference. His special presence among us begins with his easy intimacy with the first couple in the garden of Eden; it continues with the divine glory which shone forth from the Tent of Meeting in the midst of the People of Israel during their journey through the desert, and it culminates in the incarnation of the Son of God who became inseparably one with humanity in Jesus Christ. Jesus himself traversed the desert of our humanity and, passing beyond death, he rose from the dead and now draws all humanity with himself towards God. Jesus is no longer confined to a particular place and time. His Spirit, the Holy Spirit, flows forth from him, enters our hearts and thus joins us to him, and with him to the Father -- to the God who is one and three.

Yes, my friends! God makes all the difference ... and more! God changes us; he makes us new! This is what he has promised: "Behold, I make all things new" (Rev 21:5). It is true! The Apostle Paul tells us: "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled himself to us" (2 Cor 5:17-18). In ascending to Heaven and entering eternity, Jesus Christ has become the Lord of all ages. So he can walk with us as a friend in the present, carrying in his hand the book of our days. In his hand he also holds the past, the foundation and source of our life. He also carefully holds the future, allowing us to catch a glimpse of the most beautiful dawn we will ever see: the dawn that radiates from him, the dawn of the Resurrection. God is the future of a new humanity, which is anticipated in his Church. When you have a chance, take time to read the Church's history. You will find that the Church does not grow old with the passing of the years. Rather, she grows younger, for she is journeying towards her Lord, day by day drawing nearer to the one true fountain overflowing with youthfulness, rebirth, the power of life.

Dear young people, the future is God. As we have just heard, "he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more; neither shall there be mourning, nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away" (Rev 21:4). At present though, and even in our midst, I see some of the many thousands of young Angolans who have been maimed or disabled as a result of the war and the landmines. I think of the countless tears that have been shed for the loss of your relatives and friends. It is not hard to imagine the dark clouds that still veil the horizon of your fondest hopes and dreams. In your hearts I see doubt, a doubt which you have expressed to me today. You are saying: "Here is what we have. There is no visible sign of the things you are talking about! The promise is backed by God's word -- and we believe it -- but when will God arise and renew all things?" Jesus' answer is the one he gave to his disciples: "Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God. Believe also in me. In my Father's house there are many rooms; if it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?" (Jn 14:1-2). But you persist, dear young people: "Yes! But when will this happen?" The Apostles asked Jesus a similar question, and his answer was: "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses ... to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:7-8). See how Jesus does not leave us without an answer; he tells us one thing very clearly: renewal starts from within; you will receive a power from on high. The power to shape the future is within you.

It is within you, but how? Just as life exists within a seed. That is how Jesus explained it at a critical juncture in his ministry. The beginning of his ministry was accompanied by great enthusiasm. People saw the sick healed, demons cast out, the Gospel proclaimed, but otherwise the world had not changed: the Romans remained in power and everyday life continued to be hard, despite those miracles and those beautiful words. People's enthusiasm was waning so much that even some of his disciples had left the Master (cf. Jn 6:66) who preached but did not change the world. Everyone was asking: deep down, what value does this message have? What has this prophet of God brought us? It was then that Jesus spoke about the sower who sows in the field of the world, and he explained that the seed is his word (Mk 4:3-20) and his miracles of healing. These are so few in comparison to the immense needs and demands of everyday life. And yet, deep within the seed, the future is already present, since the seed contains tomorrow's bread, tomorrow's life. The seed seems almost nothing. But it is the presence of the future, the promise already present. When it falls on good soil, it produces fruit, thirty, sixty and even a hundredfold.

My dear friends, you are a seed which God has sown in the world, a seed that contains power from on high, the power of the Holy Spirit. And yet, the only way to pass from the promise of life to actually bearing fruit is to give your lives in love, to die for love. Jesus himself said: "Unless a grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life" (Jn 12:24-25). This is what Jesus said, and this is how he acted. His crucifixion seems like complete failure, but it is not! Jesus, in the power of "the eternal Spirit, offered himself without blemish to God" (Heb 9:14). Thus, once he fell to the earth, he could bear fruit in every time and place. In your midst you have the new Bread, the Bread of future life, the Most Holy Eucharist, which nourishes us and pours out the life of the Trinity into the hearts of all people.

Dear young people, as seeds filled with the power of the same eternal Spirit, sprout up before the warmth of the Eucharist, in which the Lord's testament is fulfilled: he gives himself to us and we respond by giving ourselves to others, for love of him. This is the way that leads to life; it can be followed only by maintaining a constant dialogue with the Lord and among yourselves. The dominant societal culture is not helping you to live by Jesus' word or to practise the self-giving to which he calls you in accordance with the Father's plan. Yet, dear friends, you have the power within you, just as it was in Jesus when he said: "the Father who dwells in me does his works... he who believes in me, will also do the works that I do; and he will do greater works than these, because I go to the Father" (Jn 14:10,12). So do not be afraid to make definitive decisions. You do not lack generosity -- that I know! But the idea of risking a lifelong commitment, whether in marriage or in a life of special consecration, can be daunting. You might think: "The world is in constant flux and life is full of possibilities. Can I make a life-long commitment now, without knowing what unforeseen events lie in store for me? By making a definitive decision, would I not be risking my freedom and tying my own hands?" These are the doubts you feel, and today's individualistic and hedonist culture aggravates them. Yet when young people avoid decisions, there is a risk of never attaining to full maturity!

I say to you: Take courage! Dare to make definitive decisions, because in reality these are the only decisions which do not destroy your freedom, but guide it in the right direction, enabling you to move forward and attain something worthwhile in life. There is no doubt about it: life is worthwhile only if you take courage and are ready for adventure, if you trust in the Lord who will never abandon you. Young people of Angola, unleash the power of the Holy Spirit within you, the power from on high! Trusting in this power, like Jesus, risk taking a leap and making a definitive decision. Give life a chance! In this way islands, oases and great stretches of Christian culture will spring up in your midst, and bring to light that "holy city coming down out of Heaven, from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband". This is the life worthy of being lived, and I commend it to you from my heart. May God bless the young people of Angola!

Pope Benedict XVI standing on his pope mobile, passes by a large crucifix as he greets the faithful wearing his Saturn Hat - named after the ringed planet Saturn, during the weekly general audience...
(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

The Vatican is to link one of its websites to the social networking site Facebook as part of a drive to harness internet technology in reaching the world’s one billion Catholics.

Speaking to around 20,000 pilgrims in his general audience in St Peter’s Square on Wednesday, the Pope encouraged young people to use the internet to share their faith.

"Young people in particular, I appeal to you [to] bear witness to your faith through the digital world," the Pope said.

The Facebook link-up follows the launch of a Vatican channel on YouTube. The Holy See set a new YouTube record when it broadcast the Pope’s Easter message with subtitles in 27 languages.

"One of the biggest challenges facing us at present is that of interactivity, and, I would say, of 'positive interactivity' ... In recent years the internet has been for us an important tool that has made it possible for us to deliver content to countless users of all kinds," the Pope said.

Also in Wednesday’s general audience, the Pope said that Christians, Muslims and Jews living in the Holy Land could find peace with faith in God.

Reflecting on his recent visit to the troubled region, he said: "In that land blessed by God, it sometimes seems impossible to break the spiral of violence, but nothing is impossible for God and for those who trust in him.

"For this reason, faith in the one God - just and merciful - is the most precious resource.”

She is only the second person from the Indian Roman Catholic church to attain sainthood. The first was Gonsalo Garcia, born in Vasai near Mumbai to an Indian mother and Portuguese father in 1556. The was declared a saint in 1862.

The other woman from India on the path to sainthood is Albanian-born Mother Teresa, who was beatified five years ago.

Indians from all over the world had reached Rome to watch Alphonsa's cononization. An official delegation comprising Kerala public works department minister Mons Joseph, P C Thomas MP, former Kerala finance minister K M Mani, MLAs P C George and K V Thomas, former Meghalaya governor M M Jacob and Mahatma Gandhi University vice-chancellor Jancy James attended the ceremony.

Alphonsa, born in Kudamaloor village, is credited with curing illness and disease after her death in 1946, with the Vatican approving the reported miracle cure of Genil Joseph, a congenitally deformed child, in 1999. She was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1986 at Kottayam, 40 years after her death. In March this year, Pope Benedict XVI decided to canonize her.

Alphonsa, who deliberately disfigured herself at a young age to ward off suitors and enter the convent, died at the age of 36. Her tomb became a pilgrimage site and she was credited with several miracles.

Though she died at a young, she created a much bigger family of Sisters of the Franciscan clarist Congrgation with her short life of unflinching faith.

The Vatican took more than 50 years to scrutinize Alphonsa's life and work before conferring one of church's highest spiritual honours.

Correcting an earlier notice, this year's Al Smith Dinner in New York will feature both John McCain and Barack Obama as keynote speakers... at least, that's what the white-tie event's website says... not to mention the save-the-date cards that went out late last week.

Scheduled for 16 October, the 63rd edition of the vaunted Waldorf-Astoria funder for Gotham's Catholic Charities falls one night after the final debate between the presidential contenders, and -- barring the unexpected -- will be their last face-to-face before Election Day.

A resolutely apolitical gathering, the Smith is more akin to a Gridiron-style roast, as illustrated by 2000's Gore-Bush meeting there (above).

It might be Assumption Night the world over... but for the global gathering of the faithful at the Memphis parish nearest to the nation's most-visited house of worship -- Graceland -- today's 3pm liturgy was, yet again, the "Elvis Mass."

Of course, tomorrow marks the 31st anniversary of the King's death -- a holy day of obligation in pop culture, to be sure, and one observed by not a few among this readership (...let alone your narrator's Dad, who keeps a gyrating Presley phone (that sings "Hound Dog") by His Chair).

According to legend, Elvis -- a Southern Baptist who long maintained a keen interest in religion -- was reading a book about the Shroud of Turin at the time of his passing... so in that vein, without any further ado, one of the standards from today's Memphis Mass: the King's "Miracle of the Rosary":

Before I take my leave, I wish to say to my hosts how much I have enjoyed my visit here and how grateful I am for your hospitality. I thank the Prime Minister, the Honourable Kevin Rudd, for the kindness he has shown to me and to all the participants at World Youth Day. I also thank the Governor-General, Major-General Michael Jeffery, for his presence here and for graciously receiving me at Admiralty House at the start of my public engagements. The Federal Government and the State Government of New South Wales, as well as the residents and the business community of Sydney, have been most cooperative in their support of World Youth Day. An event of this kind requires an immense amount of preparation and organization, and I know that I speak on behalf of many thousands of young people when I express my appreciation and gratitude to you all. In characteristic Australian style, you have extended a warm welcome to me and to countless young pilgrims who have flocked here from every corner of the globe. To the host families in Australia and New Zealand who have made room for the young people in their homes, I am especially grateful. You have opened your doors and your hearts to the world's youth, and on their behalf I thank you.

The principal actors on the stage over these last few days, of course, have been the young people themselves. World Youth Day is their day. It is they who have made this a global ecclesial event, a great celebration of youth and a great celebration of what it is to be the Church, the people of God throughout the world, united in faith and love and empowered by the Spirit to bear witness to the risen Christ to the ends of the earth. I thank them for coming, I thank them for their participation, and I pray that they will have a safe journey home. I know that the young people, their families and their sponsors have in many cases made great sacrifices to enable them to travel to Australia. For this the entire Church is grateful.

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As the Pope celebrated Mass in St Mary's, the pilgrims began heading en masse to Randwick Racecourse, where the expected turnout of a half-million for tonight's Vigil will transform the place into Australia's 10th largest city.
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"I would like to pause to acknowledge the shame which we have all felt as a result of the sexual abuse of minors by some clergy and religious in this country.

"Indeed I am deeply sorry for the pain and suffering the victims have endured and I assure them that, as their pastor, I too share in their suffering.

"These misdeeds, which constitute so grave a betrayal of trust, deserve unequivocal condemnation. They have caused great pain, they have damaged the church's witness.

"I ask all of you to support and assist your bishops, and to work together with them in combating this evil. Victims should receive compassion and care, and those responsible for these evils must be brought to justice....

"As the church in Australia continues, in the spirit of the gospel, to address effectively this serious pastoral challenge, I join you in praying that this time of purification will bring about healing, reconciliation and ever-greater -

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The Year of Paul by Rocco Palmo- Credit: whispers in the loggia- blogspot
On the 28th June, at First Vespers in Rome's Basilica of St Paul's Outside the Walls, Pope Benedict opened the Pauline Year -- a special jubilee to mark the 2,000th anniversary of the birth of the "Apostle to the Gentiles."

From indulgences to pilgrimages and explorations of Paul's writings, resources for the year -- which'll have its international climax come October as the global Synod of Bishops meets to discuss "The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church"

Elsewhere in the pages, the lead in today's edition of The Tablet tackles the jubilarian's inheritance...

Paul's legacy is a complex one. First, he is responsible for a large part of the New Testament. The letters ascribed to him are about a quarter of the whole, and if you add the 17 chapters of Acts that are given over to him, it is more like a third. After Jesus, you could argue, Paul is the central figure of the New Testament.

Secondly, Paul is (as far as we know) the first Christian author. Then there is the fact that the letters have been preserved, even though they are clearly written for particular purposes and addressed to Christians in one city rather than another. That means that from the very beginning Christians must have thought that there was something of general import. This would have astonished Paul.

Lastly, the Pauline letters have touched hearts down the centuries; think of his effect on St Augustine, Luther (though even Lutherans today recognise that the great reformer misread St Paul), Wesley and Karl Barth, and all the lives that have been influenced through them, including our own.

What kind of a person is it that has bequeathed this legacy to us? One of the great advantages of letters is that for the most part they are personal. Paul is writing real letters, to real people, aiming to solve the difficulties that arise in real situations. Paul is, moreover, unmistakably flesh and blood, a real person, whom we overhear threatening the Corinthians with corporal punishment, and accusing the Galatians of stupidity, and of being bewitched. There are, moreover, one or two other remarks that he makes, which cannot easily be repeated in polite society.

There is no doubt at all of Paul's humanity: he is a passionate lover, and a prickly, irritable authoritarian, both at the same time. He is a gifted theologian (one of the three unmistakably great minds in the New Testament), with a startling ability to think on his feet when faced with new and unforeseen situations.

One of Paul's strengths is that he is at ease in at least three backgrounds. He is, according to Acts, a Roman citizen. Then he clearly belongs in the Hellenistic world into which he was born at Tarsus, and to which he spent the last 30 years of his life preaching. Finally but by no means least in importance, he is a Jew who took his Law-based Pharisaic Judaism immensely seriously, and if Acts has it right he studied under the great Pharisee teacher Gamaliel.

All three of these backgrounds are important to Paul, though he has reservations about each of them. Paul was also an innovator, unafraid of change. Notably, his encounter with Jesus meant that the story of the one God, in which he had been brought up, now had to be radically adapted to include the Risen One whom he learned to call "Lord".

One of the difficulties about letters is that they represent only one part of a continuing dialogue, and, maddeningly, we do not have the other side of the conversation. Paul's readers (or rather hearers - the letters were written to be performed rather than studied) knew a great deal more than we do about the background, and in places we must simply guess at what might have been going on, where they would have not been at all puzzled.

Because Paul is addressing many different situations, it is inevitable that he is not always consistent, and although he remains unmistakably the same Paul, different problems call forth different, or at least nuanced, responses from him. It is not respectful to the Apostle always to force him into consistency. At times, too, he is frankly very difficult. I defy anybody to read carefully through the Letter to the Romans and claim that they fully understand what Paul is saying. Even in that first century people were aware of this obscurity as a problem, as we see in 2 Peter, where the author warns his audience about "our beloved brother Paul" that in all his letters ... "there are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction". And it is certainly possible that when the Letter of James makes some dark remarks about the relationship between faith and works, the author is attacking either Paul or some of his more enthusiastic followers.

In more recent times, it was recalled how an illiterate old woman, freed from slavery in the United States, would say "Not that man!" when her family read the Bible to her, and suggested something from St Paul. The family remembered that she told them, "the master's minister would occasionally hold services for the slaves. Always the white minister used as his text something from Paul. ‘Slaves, be obedient to them that are your masters ... as unto Christ.' Then he would go on to show how, if we were good and happy slaves, God would bless us. I promised my Maker that if I ever learned to read and if freedom ever came, I would not read that part of the Bible."...

To get Paul right, and to assess his legacy properly, it is essential to listen for the heart of his message. What is this heart? The moment that ineradicably changed his life, and has not ceased to echo today, was when he met Jesus. Paul is quite clear that he has done so, and Luke thought it such an important encounter that he tells the story no fewer than three times. The effect on Paul was quite startling. He was in no doubt that it was Jesus, quite against the run of play, whom he had met; so there was no question of "wishful thinking", or sunstroke or an epileptic fit, such as are often peddled as explanations of what took place. From that, it followed that what these irritating Jesus people had been claiming was, after all, true - that the Crucified One had indeed been raised from the dead by God. Therefore, he was indeed God's Messiah (which Paul had thought impossible).

More radical yet, Paul realised that he had to address Jesus as "Lord", the title that hitherto Paul would have reserved for God. This was doubly subversive, for it would lead him into conflict not only with his fellow Jews, but also with Roman society, at a time when the emperors were sending out signals that they were quite happy to be so addressed, and to be regarded as divinities.

Two further consequences seem to have followed for Paul. The first was that he understood himself to be charged with the task of telling "Gentiles" (non-Jews, such as most people reading this article) about this lordship of Jesus. The second was that this new way of life is not a private matter - not a matter of individuals in solitary relationship with Jesus. Christianity (to give the new movement a name that it did not yet possess) is not something you do alone, but is a corporate affair, done in solidarity with others.

...and in a text that seems to be making the rounds again this week after its debut in January, an extensive pastoral letter on the celebration from Bishop Michael Saltarelli of Wilmington, featuring "10 Ways to Celebrate":

Pray to the Holy Spirit about your unique and intimate “Road to Damascus” conversion experience that the Spirit is calling you to in the Year of Saint Paul.
Live Galatians 2:20 “It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me” and study the lives of saints from Saint Paul to Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta who lived these words so inspirationally.
Read and pray The Acts of the Apostles and the letters of Saint Paul in the New Testament. Consult, too, the many helpful biblical commentaries and general studies of Paul that are presently available and will become available during the Year of Saint Paul.
Take Pope Benedict XVI’s challenge and engage daily in Lectio divina so that the Church will have a “new springtime” of spiritual growth and evangelization. Discover in a personal way that “the Word of God cannot be chained!” For an introduction to Lectio divina, see www.valyermo.com/ld-art.html.
Study the Church’s Teaching on Revelation and biblical interpretation in such Church documents and resources as:
The Second Vatican Council’s Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation Dei Verbum
The Pontifical Biblical Commission’s The Interpretation of the Bible in the Church (1993)
Relevant sections of the Catechism of the Catholic Church [Part One: sections 26-184, pp. 13-50] and the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church [Questions 1-32, pp. 5-12]
Pope Benedict XVI’s Jesus of Nazareth
Study and Pray through Paul’s teaching on the power of the Cross of Christ. “Preach Christ crucified” in the way you carry the Cross and the way you help others carry their crosses.
Develop even more deeply a Pauline reverence for the Eucharist and the Body of Christ. Read and pray:
Pope John Paul II’s apostolic letter Dies Domini (1998)
Pope John Paul II’s encyclical Ecclesia de Eucharistia (2003)
Pope Benedict XVI’s post-synodal apostolic exhortation Sacramentum Caritatis (2007)
Participate in Parish and Diocesan Masses during the Year of Saint Paul for the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul (Sunday, June 29, 2008 and Monday, June 29, 2009), the Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul the Apostle (Sunday, January 25, 2009), and the Feast of Saint Stephen, First Martyr (Friday, December 26, 2008). Make a pilgrimage during the Year of Saint Paul to Saint Paul’s parish in Wilmington, Saint Paul’s Parish in Delaware City and Saint Peter and Paul’s Parish in Easton, MD. If you should be fortunate enough to visit Rome this year, make sure to visit and venerate the tomb of Saint Paul at the Basilica of Saint Paul-Outside-the-Walls. Vatican officials announced in December 2006 that several feet below the Basilica’s main altar and behind a smaller altar, they had found a roughly cut marble sarcophagus beneath an inscription that reads “Paul Apostle Martyr.” The small altar was removed and a window inserted so that pilgrims can see the sarcophagus. Also visit the new ecumenical chapel which will be located in the southeast corner of the Basilica (what had been since the 1930s a baptismal chapel). While praying there, ask the intercession of Saint Paul for ecumenical progress and full Christian unity.27
Seek Paul’s intercession to be a more vibrant missionary in the world. Respond to the Universal Call to Holiness and the Universal Call to Mission. Study classical Church texts on missionary spirit and evangelization that discuss the life and ministry of Saint Paul such as Vatican Council II’s 1965 Decree on the Church’s Missionary Activity, Ad Gentes Divinitus, Pope Paul VI’s 1975 apostolic exhortation Evangeli Nuntiandi, Pope John Paul II’s 1990 encyclical Redemptoris Missio and Pope John Paul II’s 1999 post-synodal apostolic exhortation Ecclesia in America.
Study and pray the classical paintings of Saint Paul such as Rembrandt’s Saint Paul at his Writing-Desk (1629-1630), Caravaggio’s The Conversion of Saint Paul (1600), El Greco’s Saint Paul (1606), Michelangelo’s The Conversion of Saul (1542-1545), Raphael’s Saint Paul Preaching in Athens. For an internet tour of these paintings and other art works that focus on Saint Paul, see the website: www.jesuswalk.com/philippians /artwork-st-paul.htm. And see the 1981 film Chariots of Fire (and other films with Pauline themes) which examines how Eric Liddell, a Scottish 1924 Olympic runner, lives and speaks about the Pauline “running the race” of faith and “feeling God’s pleasure” when he runs. This film is a moving commentary on Galatians 2:20.

The official logo of the Universal Church for the Celebrations of the Year of St Paul

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The Event of the Year….World Youth Day- Sydney, Australia

World Youth Day (WYD) is the largest youth event in the world and will be held in Sydney from Tuesday 15 to Sunday 20 July 2008. WYD is a week-long series of events attended by the Pope and hundreds of thousands of young people from all over the globe. It has become the largest single mobilisation of young people in the world.

The week culminates in a Final Mass celebrated by the Pope on the last day (the actual World Youth Day). Typically, it is the largest event of the week and, overseas, has drawn millions of people.

World Youth Day is an invitation from the Pope to the youth of the world to celebrate their faith around a particular theme. The WYD08 theme, received from Pope Benedict XVI is:

'You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses.' Acts 1:8

This passage occurs after the death and resurrection of Jesus, just before his ascension to the Father. It represents the birth of the Church.

Up to 225,000 registered pilgrims are expected to take part in WYD08 events each day, including 125,000 international visitors.
100,000 Australian pilgrims are expected, including 40,000 from greater Sydney
An estimated 8,000 volunteers will assist
An estimated 2,000 clergy will be present
An estimated 700 Cardinals and Bishops will be present
Between 3,000 - 5,000 media are expected to cover the event
3.5 million meals will be served to pilgrims
100,000 will sleep in 700 schools and parishes
Up to 40,000 will be billeted as part of the HomeStay program
Approximately 20,000 will stay in Sydney hotels. The remainder will make their own arrangements.
Up to 500,000 people are expected to attend the Final Mass at Randwick Racecourse and Centennial Park (which is open to all)
The four official WYD08 languages are: English, French, Italian and Spanish
The Holy Father at the WYD night Vigil- Cologne, Germany , 2005

The logo distils the essence of the theme for WYD08 and highlights the promise made by Jesus to set fire upon the Earth by the power of the Holy Spirit which inspires the pilgrims who come to Australia, to believe and witness to Him.

Central to the logo is the Cross raised in victory, representing Christ and the life of witness which the Holy Spirit enables. It is the passion of the heart of Christ, poured out into the world from the Cross, which consumes the young people of Sydney, of Australia and of the world. The whiteness of the Cross indicates that Jesus is the light of the world.

The flames of the logo represent the Descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecostin tongues of fire. They evoke the Sacrament of Confirmation and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The colours of red, orange and yellow flowing throughout symbolise the Trinity and Unity of God. They also bring to mind the colours of the Australian outback.

The blue of the logo represents the oceans that surround Australia, the waters of Baptism, the sea of humanity and Mary, full of grace.

MESSAGE OF THE HOLY FATHER BENEDICT XVI
TO THE YOUNG PEOPLE OF THE WORLD ON THE OCCASION OF THE XXIII WORLD YOUTH DAY, 2008

“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you;
and you will be my witnesses ” (Acts 1:8)

I always remember with great joy the various occasions we spent together in Cologne in August 2005. At the end of that unforgettable manifestation of faith and enthusiasm that remains engraved on my spirit and on my heart, I made an appointment with you for the next gathering that will be held in Sydney in 2008. This will be the XXIII World Youth Day and the theme will be: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses” (Acts 1:8). The underlying theme of the spiritual preparation for our meeting in Sydney is the Holy Spirit and mission. In 2006 we focussed our attention on the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of Truth. Now in 2007 we are seeking a deeper understanding of the Spirit of Love. We will continue our journey towards World Youth Day 2008 by reflecting on the Spirit of Fortitude and Witness that gives us the courage to live according to the Gospel and to proclaim it boldly. Therefore it is very important that each one of you young people - in your communities, and together with those responsible for your education - should be able to reflect on this Principal Agent of salvation history, namely the Holy Spirit or the Spirit of Jesus. In this way you will be able to achieve the following lofty goals: to recognize the Spirit’s true identity, principally by listening to the Word of God in the Revelation of the Bible; to become clearly aware of his continuous, active presence in the life of the Church, especially as you rediscover that the Holy Spirit is the “soul”, the vital breath of Christian life itself, through the sacraments of Christian initiation - Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist; to grow thereby in an understanding of Jesus that becomes ever deeper and more joyful and, at the same time, to put the Gospel into practice at the dawn of the third millennium. In this message I gladly offer you an outline for meditation that you can explore during this year of preparation. In this way you can test the quality of your faith in the Holy Spirit, rediscover it if it is lost, strengthen it if it has become weak, savour it as fellowship with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ, brought about by the indispensable working of the Holy Spirit. Never forget that the Church, in fact humanity itself, all the people around you now and those who await you in the future, expect much from you young people, because you have within you the supreme gift of the Father, the Spirit of Jesus.

Attentive listening to the Word of God concerning the mystery and action of the Holy Spirit opens us up to great and inspiring insights that I shall summarize in the following points.

Shortly before his Ascension, Jesus said to his disciples: “And behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you” (Lk 24:49). This took place on the day of Pentecost when they were together in prayer in the Upper Room with the Virgin Mary. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the nascent Church was the fulfilment of a promise made much earlier by God, announced and prepared throughout the Old Testament.

In fact, right from its opening pages, the Bible presents the spirit of God as the wind that “was moving over the face of the waters” (cf. Gen 1:2). It says that God breathed into man’s nostrils the breath of life (cf. Gen 2:7), thereby infusing him with life itself. After original sin, the life-giving spirit of God is seen several times in the history of humankind, calling forth prophets to exhort the chosen people to return to God and to observe his commandments faithfully. In the well-known vision of the prophet Ezekiel, God, with his spirit, restores to life the people of Israel, represented by the “dry bones” (cf. 37:1-14). Joel prophesied an “outpouring of the spirit” over all the people, excluding no one. The sacred author wrote: “And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out my spirit on all flesh ... Even upon the menservants and maidservants, in those days, I will pour out my spirit” (3:1-2).

In “the fullness of time” (cf. Gal 4:4), the angel of the Lord announced to the Virgin of Nazareth that the Holy Spirit, “the power of the Most High”, would come upon her and overshadow her. The child to be born would be holy and would be called Son of God (cf. Lk 1:35). In the words of the prophet Isaiah, the Messiah would be the one on whom the Spirit of the Lord would rest (cf. 11:1-2; 42:1). This is the prophecy that Jesus took up again at the start of his public ministry in the synagogue in Nazareth. To the amazement of those present, he said: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour” (Lk 4:18-19; cf. Is 61:1-2). Addressing those present, he referred those prophetic words to himself by saying: “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing” (Lk 4:21). Again, before his death on the Cross, he would tell his disciples several times about the coming of the Holy Spirit, the “Counselor” whose mission would be to bear witness to him and to assist believers by teaching them and guiding them to the fullness of Truth (cf. Jn 14:16-17, 25-26; 15:26; 16:13).

On the evening of the day of resurrection, Jesus appeared to his disciples, “he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’” (Jn 20:22). With even greater power the Holy Spirit descended on the Apostles on the day of Pentecost. We read in the Acts of the Apostles: “And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them” (2:2-3).

The Holy Spirit renewed the Apostles from within, filling them with a power that would give them courage to go out and boldly proclaim that “Christ has died and is risen!” Freed from all fear, they began to speak openly with self-confidence (cf. Acts 2:29; 4:13; 4:29,31). These frightened fishermen had become courageous heralds of the Gospel. Even their enemies could not understand how “uneducated and ordinary men” (cf. Acts 4:13) could show such courage and endure difficulties, suffering and persecution with joy. Nothing could stop them. To those who tried to silence them they replied: “We cannot keep from speaking about what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20). This is how the Church was born, and from the day of Pentecost she has not ceased to spread the Good News “to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

If we are to understand the mission of the Church, we must go back to the Upper Room where the disciples remained together (cf. Lk 24:49), praying with Mary, the “Mother”, awaiting the Spirit that had been promised. This icon of the nascent Church should be a constant source of inspiration for every Christian community. Apostolic and missionary fruitfulness is not principally due to programmes and pastoral methods that are cleverly drawn up and “efficient”, but is the result of the community’s constant prayer (cf. Evangelii Nuntiandi, 75). Moreover, for the mission to be effective, communities must be united, that is, they must be “of one heart and soul” (cf. Acts 4:32), and they must be ready to witness to the love and joy that the Holy Spirit instils in the hearts of the faithful (cf. Acts 2:42). The Servant of God John Paul II wrote that, even prior to action, the Church’s mission is to witness and to live in a way that shines out to others (cf. Redemptoris Missio, 26). Tertullian tells us that this is what happened in the early days of Christianity when pagans were converted on seeing the love that reigned among Christians: “See how they love one another” (cf. Apology, 39 § 7).To conclude this brief survey of the Word of God in the Bible, I invite you to observe how the Holy Spirit is the highest gift of God to humankind, and therefore the supreme testimony of his love for us, a love that is specifically expressed as the “yes to life” that God wills for each of his creatures. This “yes to life” finds its fullness in Jesus of Nazareth and in his victory over evil by means of the redemption. In this regard, let us never forget that the Gospel of Jesus, precisely because of the Spirit, cannot be reduced to a mere statement of fact, for it is intended to be “good news for the poor, release for captives, sight for the blind ...”. With what great vitality this was seen on the day of Pentecost, as it became the grace and the task of the Churchtowards the world, her primary mission!

We are the fruits of this mission of the Church through the working of the Holy Spirit. We carry within us the seal of the Father’s love in Jesus Christ which is the Holy Spirit. Let us never forget this, because the Spirit of the Lord always remembers every individual, and wishes, particularly through you young people, to stir up the wind and fire of a new Pentecost in the world.

My dear young friends, the Holy Spirit continues today to act with power in the Church, and the fruits of the Spirit are abundant in the measure in which we are ready to open up to this power that makes all things new. For this reason it is important that each one of us know the Spirit, establish a relationship with Him and allow ourselves to be guided by Him. However, at this point a question naturally arises: who is the Holy Spirit for me? It is a fact that for many Christians He is still the “great unknown”. This is why, as we prepare for the next World Youth Day, I wanted to invite you to come to know the Holy Spirit more deeply at a personal level. In our profession of faith we proclaim: “I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son” (Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed). Yes, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of the love of the Father and of the Son, is the Source of life that makes us holy, “because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us” (Rom 5:5). Nevertheless, it is not enough to know the Spirit; we must welcome Him as the guide of our souls, as the “Teacher of the interior life” who introduces us to the Mystery of the Trinity, because He alone can open us up to faith and allow us to live it each day to the full. The Spirit impels us forward towards others, enkindles in us the fire of love, makes us missionaries of God’s charity.

I know very well that you young people hold in your hearts great appreciation and love for Jesus, and that you desire to meet Him and speakwith Him. Indeed, remember that it is precisely the presence of the Spirit within us that confirms, constitutes and builds our person on the very Person of Jesus crucified and risen. So let us become familiar with the Holy Spirit in order to be familiar with Jesus.

You might ask, how can we allow ourselves to be renewed by the Holy Spirit and to grow in our spiritual lives? The answer, as you know, is this: we can do so by means of the Sacraments, because faith is born and is strengthened within us through the Sacraments, particularly those of Christian initiation: Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist, which are complementary and inseparable (cf. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1285). This truth concerning the three Sacraments that initiate our lives as Christians is perhaps neglected in the faith life of many Christians. They view them as events that took place in the past and have no real significance for today, like roots that lack life-giving nourishment. It happens that many young people distance themselves from their life of faith after they have received Confirmation. There are also young people who have not even received this sacrament. Yet it is through the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and then, in an ongoing way, the Eucharist, that the Holy Spirit makes us children of the Father, brothers and sisters of Jesus, members of his Church, capable of a true witness to the Gospel, and able to savour the joy of faith.

I therefore invite you to reflect on what I am writing to you. Nowadays it is particularly necessary to rediscover the sacrament of Confirmation and its important place in our spiritual growth. Those who have received the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation should remember that they have become “temples of the Spirit”: God lives within them. Always be aware of this and strive to allow the treasure within you to bring forth fruits of holiness. Those who are baptized but have not yet received the sacrament of Confirmation, prepare to receive it knowing that in this way you willbecome “complete” Christians, since Confirmation perfects baptismal grace (cf. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1302-1304).

Confirmation gives us special strength to witness to and glorify God with our whole lives (cf. Rom 12:1). It makes us intimately aware of our belonging to the Church, the “Body of Christ”, of which we are all living members, in solidarity with one another (cf. 1 Cor 12:12-25). By allowing themselves to be guided by the Spirit, each baptized person can bring his or her own contribution to the building up of the Church because of the charisms given by the Spirit, for “to each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good” (1 Cor 12:7). When the Spirit acts, he brings his fruits to thesoul, namely “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Gal 5:22). To those of you who have not yet received the sacrament of Confirmation, I extend a cordial invitation to prepare to receive it, and to seek help from your priests. It is a special occasion of grace that the Lord is offering you. Do not miss this opportunity!

I would like to add a word about the Eucharist. In order to grow in our Christian life, we need to be nourished by the Body and Blood of Christ. In fact, we are baptized and confirmed with a view to the Eucharist (cf. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1322; Sacramentum Caritatis, 17). “Source and summit” of the Church’s life, the Eucharist is a “perpetual Pentecost”since every time we celebrate Mass we receive the Holy Spirit who unites us more deeply with Christ and transforms us into Him. My dear young friends, if you take part frequently in the eucharistic celebration, if you dedicate some of your time to adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, the Source of love which is the Eucharist, you will acquire that joyful determination to dedicate your lives to following the Gospel. At the same time it will be your experience that whenever our strength is not enough, it is the Holy Spirit who transforms us, filling us with his strength and making us witnesses suffused by the missionary fervour of the risen Christ.

Many young people view their lives with apprehension and raise many questions about their future. They anxiously ask: How can we fit into a world marked by so many grave injustices and so much suffering? How should we react to the selfishness and violence that sometimes seem to prevail? How can we give full meaning to life? How can we help to bring it about that the fruits of the Spirit mentioned above, “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (no. 6), can fill this scarred and fragile world, the world of young people most of all? On what conditions can the life-giving Spirit of the first creation and particularly of the second creation or redemption become the new soul of humanity? Let us not forget that the greater the gift of God - and the gift of the Spirit of Jesus is the greatest of all – so much the greater is the world’s need to receive it and therefore the greater and the more exciting is the Church’s mission to bear credible witness to it. You young people, through World Youth Day, are in a way manifesting your desire to participate in this mission. In this regard, my dear young friends, I want to remind you here of some key truths on which to meditate. Once again I repeat that only Christ can fulfil the most intimate aspirations that are in the heart of each person. Only Christ can humanize humanity and lead it to its “divinization”. Through the power of his Spirit he instils divine charity within us, and this makes us capable of loving our neighbour and ready to be of service. The Holy Spirit enlightens us, revealing Christ crucified and risen, and shows us how to become more like Him so that we can be “the image and instrument of the love which flows from Christ” (Deus Caritas Est, 33). Those who allow themselves to be led by the Spirit understand that placing oneself at the service of the Gospel is not an optional extra, because they are aware of the urgency of transmitting this Good News to others. Nevertheless, we need to be reminded again that we can be witnesses of Christ only if we allow ourselves to be led by the Holy Spirit who is “the principal agent of evangelization” (cf. Evangelii Nuntiandi, 75) and “the principal agent of mission” (cf. Redemptoris Missio, 21). My dear young friends, as my venerable predecessors Paul VI and John Paul II said on several occasions, to proclaim the Gospel and bear witness to the faith is more necessary than ever today (cf. Redemptoris Missio, 1). There are those who think that to present the precious treasure of faith to people who do not share it means being intolerant towards them, but this is not the case, because to present Christ is not to impose Him (cf. Evangelii Nuntiandi, 80). Moreover, two thousand years ago twelve Apostles gave their lives to make Christ known and loved. Throughout the centuries since then, the Gospel has continued to spread by means of men and women inspired by that same missionary fervour. Today too there is a need for disciples of Christ who give unstintingly of their time and energy to serve the Gospel. There is a need for young people who will allow God’s love to burn within them and who will respond generously to his urgent call, just as many young blesseds and saints did in the past and also in more recent times. In particular, I assure you that the Spirit of Jesus today is inviting you young people to be bearers of the good news of Jesus to your contemporaries. The difficulty that adults undoubtedly find in approaching the sphere of youth in a comprehensible and convincing way could be a sign with which the Spirit is urging you young people to take this task upon yourselves. You know the ideals, the language, and also the wounds, the expectations, and at the same time the desire for goodness felt by your contemporaries. This opens up the vast world of young people’s emotions, work, education, expectations, and suffering ... Each one of you must have the courage to promise the Holy Spirit that you will bring one young person to Jesus Christ in the way you consider best, knowing how to “give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope, but [to] do it with gentleness and reverence” (cf. 1 Pet 3:15).

In order to achieve this goal, my dear friends, you must be holy and you must be missionaries since we can never separate holiness from mission (cf. Redemptoris Missio, 90). Do not be afraid to become holy missionaries like Saint Francis Xavier who travelled through the Far East proclaiming the Good News until every ounce of his strength was used up, or like Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus who was a missionary even though she never left the Carmelite convent. Both of these are “Patrons of the Missions”. Be prepared to put your life on the line in order to enlighten the world with the truth of Christ; to respond with love to hatred and disregard for life; to proclaim the hope of the risen Christ in every corner of the earth.

My dear young friends, I hope to see very many of you in Sydney in July 2008. It will be a providential opportunity to experience the fullness of the Holy Spirit’s power. Come in great numbers in order to be a sign of hope and to give appreciative support to the Church community in Australia that is preparing to welcome you. For the young people of the country that will host you, it will be an exceptional opportunity to proclaim the beauty and joy of the Gospel to a society that is secularized in so many ways. Australia, like all of Oceania, needs to rediscover its Christian roots. In the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in Oceania, Pope John Paul II wrote: “Through the power of the Holy Spirit, the Church in Oceania is preparing for a new evangelization of peoples who today are hungering for Christ... A new evangelization is the first priority for the Church in Oceania” (no. 18).

I invite you to give time to prayer and to your spiritual formation during this last stage of the journey leading to the XXIII World Youth Day, so that in Sydney you will be able to renew the promises made at your Baptism and Confirmation. Together we shall invoke the Holy Spirit, confidently asking God for the gift of a new Pentecost for the Church and for humanity in the third millennium.

May Mary, united in prayer with the Apostles in the Upper Room, accompany you throughout these months and obtain for all young Christians a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit to set their hearts on fire. Remember: the Church has confidence in you! We Pastors, especially, pray that you may love and lead others to love Jesus more and more and that you may follow Him faithfully. With these sentiments I bless you all with deep affection.