Early public lobbying for World Youth Day prompts Vatican criticism

Published: 2004-02-20

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- As Germany prepares to welcome more than 100,000 young people for World Youth Day in 2005, some countries, like Australia, are already lining up to host World Youth Day 2007. But one official at the Pontifical Council for the Laity -- the Vatican office in charge of overseeing World Youth Day events -- was not pleased with the early publicity of countries' intentions to host future youth celebrations. On Feb. 19 the Italian Catholic youth Web site, www.korazym.org, published a report that the Catholic bishops in Australia agreed to propose Sydney as the next city to host World Youth Day after Cologne, Germany, next year. The story was picked up by the Vatican's missionary news service, Fides, and the Italian news agency, ANSA, later the same day. Reports also circulated that the bishops of South Africa and Bolivia wanted their countries to be considered the venue for World Youth Day 2007. But this wave of publicity prompted criticism from the head of the Pontifical Council for the Laity's Youth Section, Father Francis Kohn. With preparations still under way for the World Youth Day event in Germany, Father Kohn said, it was inappropriate to be announcing intentions to host the 2007 event.

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