Australian cardinal launches countdown to World Youth Day 2008

Published: 2007-03-05

SYDNEY, Australia (CNS) -- Cardinal George Pell of Sydney launched the 500-day countdown to World Youth Day 2008 and encouraged pilgrim groups to register online early for the event. "It's a long way to Australia from other parts of the world, you can't just get on a bus in Warsaw and drive here," Cardinal Pell said at the launch March 2 in front of St. Mary's Cathedral in Sydney. A giant digital clock in front of the cathedral will count down the days until Sydney hosts World Youth Day in July 2008. "Our wish is to avoid a situation as occurred when Rome hosted World Youth Day (2000) and three quarters of a million pilgrims decided to come in the last three weeks," Cardinal Pell said. Auxiliary Bishop Anthony Fisher of Sydney, the chief organizer of World Youth Day 2008, said most come to the approximately five-day events as members of diocesan pilgrim groups, religious movements and youth groups. He said online registration of groups had been opened up four months earlier "to capture information" on expected numbers, language groups and special needs.

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