World Youth Day cross put on display in German parliament chapel

Published: 2005-01-28

BERLIN (CNS) -- The World Youth Day cross was put on display in the interdenominational chapel of the German parliament, the Bundestag, in late January. The speaker of the parliament, Wolfgang Thierse, a Catholic, said the cross' presence was a sign that "we as members of parliament support the event." World Youth Day is scheduled to be held in the German city of Cologne Aug. 16-21. Thierse, who greeted young people accompanying the cross Jan. 24, said the fact that World Youth Day would be held in Cologne was a sign that Christianity was not dying out in Germany, but was still "full of vitality." Students carried the cross through the streets of Berlin from Humboldt University to parliament, stopping at the Brandenburg Gate for a short prayer service.

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