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| In Toronto, pope urges youths to follow Christ By John Thavis Catholic News Service Toronto — Capping a week of prayer and celebration by more than 500,000 Catholic youths, Pope John Paul II urged the church’s younger generations to follow Christ and transform a world torn by hatred and terrorism. He also asked them to keep loving the church and its ministers, despite the harm done to the young by a small minority of priests. The pope’s words and his presence highlighted World Youth Day ceremonies July 23-28 in Toronto, where an army of young people in T-shirts and backpacks spent the week praying, listening to homilies and making friends among their peers from more than 170 countries. “The aspiration that humanity nurtures, amid countless injustices and sufferings, is the hope of a new civilization marked by freedom and peace. But for such an undertaking, a new generation of builders is needed,” the pope said at an evening vigil in a Toronto park July 27. “You must be those builders,” he said. “The future is in your hearts and in your hands.” At a closing Mass at the rain-dampened site the next day, the pope addressed the sex abuse issue, saying the harm done to the young by some priests and religious “fills us all with a deep sense of sadness and shame.” But the vast majority of ministers only want to serve and do good, and the young people should love support them, he said to cheers from a crowd estimated at 800,000 people. Describing himself as “old,” the 82-year-old pontiff looked and sounded remarkably good throughout the week and proved once again that his chemistry with young people was something special. Unlike his last few trips, he pronounced his speeches in their entirety in a strong voice. He spent most of his first four days in Ontario resting and relaxing at a wooded island retreat on Lake Simcoe, 70 miles north of Toronto, where he invited 15 young people for lunch and conversation July 26. They dined on pasta and chocolate cake, then sang pop songs and hymns. The pope asked one of his luncheon guests, 19-year-old Robin Cammarota of New York, about how she experienced the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on her city. He said he was still praying for those affected by the “terrible” events that day. After walking down a set of stairs to the tarmac—an unplanned gesture from the frail pope, who was supposed to ride down in a lift—the pontiff praised the “gifts of intelligence and heart” that make young people the future of humanity. But he warned that they also were affected by conflict and injustice in the world. “Too many lives begin and end without joy, without hope. That is one of the principal reasons for World Youth Day. Young people are coming together to commit themselves, in the strength of their faith in Jesus Christ, to the great cause of peace and human solidarity,” he said. At an official arrival ceremony July 25 at a Toronto fairgrounds near the shores of Lake Ontario, the pope told a cheering throng of young people that real happiness is found in the Gospel, not in worldly success or the “fleeting pleasures of the senses.” He said Christ’s advice to be pure of heart, to love the poor and to build peace has special resonance in a world torn by violence and terrorism. “Last year we saw with dramatic clarity the tragic face of human malice. We saw what happens when hatred, sin and death take command,” the pope said, referring to the Sept. 11 attacks. “But today Jesus’ voice resounds in the midst of our gathering. His is a voice of life, of hope, of forgiveness; a voice of justice and of peace. Let us listen to this voice,” he said. For many of the youths, the joyous ceremony offered the first glimpse of the pope. Some cried, some snapped pictures, and some climbed on friends’ shoulders for a better view. When he greeted the crowd with the words, “The pope, who loves you dearly,” the young people interrupted his talk with a five-minute ovation. At their next major encounter, a vigil in Downsview Park July 27, the pope challenged young people to lead the world away from hostility and toward a “civilization of love.” Speaking from a stage overlooking a sea of flag-waving youths, he again evoked the terrorism of Sept. 11 as an emblem of a world gone wrong and said the remedy depends on faith in Christ, the “faithful friend who never lets us down.” At the closing Mass, the pope referred to priestly sex abuse after telling the young people: “If you love Jesus, love the church.” “The harm done by some priests and religious to the young and vulnerable fills us all with a deep sense of sadness and shame. But think of the vast majority of dedicated and generous priests and religious whose only wish is to serve and do good,” the pope said. For the youths, many of whom traveled to World Youth Day with their parish priests, his words were welcome. “I think it’s important that he talk about it today. We hear so much about this on our news stations, and it’s important for the pope to say he still supports the priests who are leading these groups here,” said 17-year-old Rachael Legere of Spencerport, N.Y. To judge by the huge crowds at the World Youth Day vocations pavilion, the recent scandals did not diminish participants’ interest in the priesthood or religious life. The enthusiasm of the gathering was evident as groups from various continents gathered informally to sing songs, share stories and trade pins to stick on their red World Youth Day backpacks. Many said the multilingual, multicultural assembly had given them a sense of belonging to the universal church. “The important thing is seeing how young people from other countries are proud of their faith and knowing I’m not alone,” said Pamela French, 16, of Salem, Ore. Front Page | Digest | Cardinal | Interview |
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