World Youth Day to base fees on wealth of pilgrim's country

Published: 2007-01-10

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- With the approval of the Vatican, organizers of the 2008 World Youth Day events in Australia will charge registration fees based on the wealth of each pilgrim's home country. "The pricing structure ensures that pilgrims from more affluent nations, including Australian pilgrims, share in a reasonable part of the costs of WYD08 and support pilgrims from less-affluent nations," said an announcement on the event's official Web site. Organizers said the four-tiered registration fee system was based on national income classifications developed by the World Bank. Pilgrims from Australia, the United States, Canada and Western Europe, but also Poland, Mexico and several Caribbean countries will be asked to pay higher registration fees than pilgrims coming from middle- and low-income countries. Pilgrims from countries in the South Pacific that have been classified either as "lower middle" or "low income" -- such as Fiji, East Timor and Papua New Guinea -- will be offered the steepest discount. The price list is published on the World Youth Day Web site, www.wyd2008.org.

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