Cologne challenge: Prepare for World Youth Day pilgrims, pope

Published: 2005-08-01

COLOGNE, Germany (CNS) -- The city of Cologne is preparing for an invasion of hundreds of thousands of young people scheduled to attend World Youth Day and activities surrounding Pope Benedict XVI's visit. Stefan Neuhoff, head of the Cologne fire department, described the pope's Aug. 18-21 visit as "the biggest planning challenge since the end of World War II." By late July, just weeks before the start of the Aug. 16-21 World Youth Day celebrations, organizers had received registrations from 370,000 young people from 160 countries, nearly 700 bishops, 8,000 priests and 5,100 journalists. During the international celebration, those people and more will have to be housed, fed, moved around, entertained and inspired. Before Aug. 16, about 120,000 of them will stay in German dioceses for a few days, sharing the life of Catholics throughout the country.

Copyright (c) 2005 Catholic News Service /U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The CNS news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed, including but not limited to such means as framing or any other digital copying or distribution method, in whole or in part without the prior written authority of Catholic News Service .