Send-off of pilgrim cross opens countdown to World Youth Day 2008

Published: 2006-04-10

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- With the unveiling of a logo, the handover of a pilgrim cross and the cheers of young Australians, the "road to Sydney" and World Youth Day 2008 were officially opened at the Vatican. Pope Benedict XVI sent the World Youth Day cross on a two-year trip across Africa and Oceania after a Palm Sunday liturgy April 9. Accepting it were young Australians, eager for the spiritual spotlight that will soon begin to swing across their country. With Australian flags unfurled, the young people indulged in some lively celebration after the liturgy in St. Peter's Square. "That was the spirit of Sydney on display," Morris Iemma, premier of the Australian state New South Wales, remarked at a press conference afterward. He predicted that young people would find Sydney "the friendliest city and the most welcoming city" in the world. Pope Benedict XVI gave the organizers a morale boost when he told pilgrims, "See you in Sydney, God willing." When Australia was announced last year as the venue for the next international gathering, there was doubt about whether the pope would make the trip.

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