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During his homily for the closing Mass of World Youth Day, Pope Benedict XVI encouraged the youth to pursue a pure and full faith, which does not pick and choose among doctrines. He continued on that theme in remarks to the German Bishops before returning to Rome. "If it is pushed too far, religion becomes almost a consumer product," said the Pope to over a million pilgrims in attendance at the three-hour Mass culminating World Youth Day. People choose what they like . . . But religion constructed on a 'do-it-yourself' basis cannot ultimately help us. It may be comfortable,...

DUSSELDORF, August 22, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Jim Caviezel, who portrayed Jesus in Mel Gibson's blockbuster "The Passion of the Christ," presented the film to thousands of youth delegates at World Youth Day in Germany. The screening, which also included prayer and sharing was held at UTL Arena, an outdoor stadium in Dusseldorf, one of the three German cities hosting World Youth Day. The event was sponsored by Holy Cross Family Ministries (HCFM), Easton, Massachusetts. Kerri Caviezel, Jim's wife, gave a short testimony and introduced her husband. Jim Caviezel, a committed Catholic, addressed the youth and introduced "The Passion of the...

A free festival of faithImagine Woodstock, but with Catholic teenagers instead of rock fans.    That's what it was like Saturday, when thousands of international pilgrims gathered in a field in Marienfeld, a former coal mine on the outskirts of Cologne to listen to a message from their new pope, sleep under the stars, and for some, dance and sing throughout the night. The story • World Youth Day gallery: Previous Friday, August 19 Pope's arrival a 'beautiful moment'For two days, the murky Rhine River has been something Catholic pilgrims to this city rode over to get somewhere else: the...

by Kishore Jayabalan Other Articles by Kishore Jayabalan Benedict and World Youth Day: Becoming Adults in Christ 08/20/05 Pope Benedict XVI is back in the international media spotlight this week, gracing the covers of Time and Newsweek, as he makes his first trip outside of Italy, to Cologne, Germany for the 20th World Youth Day. That a Catholic youth gathering is now a global event worthy of such attention is a testament to Pope John Paul II; now the trip is presented as a sort of “test” for Benedict. In This Article...Absolute RelativistsA Heritage with ObligationsWhat Endures? Absolute Relativists World Youth...

COLOGNE, Germany -- They slept in a dew-soaked field, packed head-to-toe, and awoke Sunday under heavy gray skies to hear Pope Benedict XVI urge his youthful followers to live a life of faith and to work to spread it. An estimated 1 million pilgrims from every corner of the planet attended Benedict's open-air Mass, culminating a weeklong World Youth Day and the new pontiff's international debut. Freedom granted by God "is not simply about enjoying life in total autonomy, but rather about living by the measure of truth and goodness, so that we ourselves can become true and good," he...

COLOGNE, Germany -- Pope Benedict XVI brought his first foreign trip as pope to a joyful conclusion yesterday, telling more than a million mainly youthful and exuberant followers at an outdoor Mass that they should not pick and choose at their faith. "If it is pushed too far, religion becomes almost a consumer product," he said. "People choose what they like, and some are even able to make a profit from it. "But religion constructed on a 'do-it-yourself' basis cannot ultimately help us. It may be comfortable, but at times of crisis we are left to ourselves." For a chance...

WINNING the right to host the 2008 World Youth Day is a massive compliment to Australia and a demonstration of how the world sees the country, Prime Minister John Howard said. German-born Pope Benedict announced yesterday in Germany he would make his first visit to Sydney in July 2008 for the conference of young Catholics, which is expected to draw 250,000 people, including 80,000 overseas visitors. Mr Howard told Macquarie Radio that Australians would welcome the pontiff and the conference would be a huge boost to the economy. "It's a massive compliment to this country," he said. "In 2007, Sydney...

Pope Benedict XVI, during the closing Mass for World Youth Day in Cologne, announced that Sydney, Australia will be hosting World Youth Day in 2008. He made the announcement in the English language.

"May Christ be everything for you," Pope tells seminarians Cologne, Aug. 19, 2005 (CNA) - In a special meeting today with more than 500 seminarians at World Youth Day in Cologne, Germany, Pope Benedict XVI said the seminary years are a time of preparing for mission and a “springtime” in the life of a follower of Christ.Pope Benedict wished to celebrate the vespers of this Friday, talking to the seminarians, addressing the mystery of vocations in the church, and giving them a special message on their mission. Amid a colorful and joyful audience, and after listening to various testimonies, the...

p>Cologne (AsiaNews) – We reproduce in full the text of the pope’s homily to the youth during the vigil in the esplanade of Marienfeld (Cologne): [in German]Dear young friends,In our pilgrimage with the mysterious Magi from the East, we have arrived at the moment which Saint Matthew describes in his Gospel with these words: "Going into the house (over which the star had halted), they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshipped him" (Mt 2:11). Outwardly, their journey was now over. They had reached their goal. But at this point a new journey began...

DUSSELDORF, Germany -- Jim Caviezel, who portrayed Jesus in Mel Gibson's blockbuster "The Passion of the Christ," presented the film yesterday to 25,000 youth delegates at 2005 World Youth Day. He also addressed the youth and led them in a decade of the rosary. The event was held at the UTL Arena, an outdoor stadium in Dusseldorf, one of the three German cities hosting World Youth Day activities, last Tuesday through tomorrow. . The others are Cologne and Bonn. The activity was sponsored by Holy Cross Family Ministries of Easton, Mass., which is composed of ministries furthering the mission of...

Pope Benedict XVI, rigt, talks to German President Horst Koehler, left, in Koehler's presedential residence in Bonn, western Germany, Friday, Aug. 19, 2005. Pope Benedict XVI on Friday became the second Pope to visit a synagogue, stopping to pray and remember Holocaust victims with Cologne's Jewish community. (AP Photo/Jochen Luebke, pool) Pope Benedict enters a Cologne synagogue together with an unidentified member of the Cologne Jewish community in Germany August 19, 2005. Pope Benedict on Friday entered the Cologne synagogue, that was destroyed by the Nazis during the anti-Jewish Crystal Night riots in 1938 and rebuilt in 1959, becoming only...

Carival in Cologne WYD / Karneval in Kölle WJT Hi WorldYouthDayer! tomorrow evening (Sat, 19th August) there will be a wonderful canrnival celebration in a Pub in Cologne. All participants (hope not everybody will come ;-))of the World Youth Day are kindly invetited to expierience Cologne at it's best side and celebrate Carnival. Adress: Effi Nußbaumerstr. 86 50825 Köln Hallo Weltjugendtagler! Morgen Nacht (Samstag 19.August) steigt in der Gaststätte Effi in Köln Ehrenfeld das große Bergfest. Genau in der Mitte zwischen der Sessionen feieren wir "Karneval in Köln" Wer Lust hat Köln von seiner herzlichsten und fröhlichsten Seite zu erleben...

Thought you freepers may enjoy these. Virtual Pilgrimage to World Youth Day http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2005/aug/05081509.html World Youth Day Virtual Pilgrimage Chapter 2 - Youth Filling Europe's Empty Churches http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2005/aug/05081701.html World Youth Day Virtual Pilgrimage Chapter 3 - Germany Restored With Arrival of Native Pope http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2005/aug/05081807.html In Synagogue Pope Calls Jews and Christians to Work Together to Defend Life and Family http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2005/aug/05081901.html

Pope faces condom protest on visit to Germany By Ruth Gledhill for Times Online The new Pope embarked on the toughest test of his papacy to date when he arrived in his native German this morning to greet a crowd of more than 400,000 young Catholics gathered to celebrate World Youth Day. The event, which became one of the biggest showcases of his charismatic predecessor's reign, has already been the focus of lobbying by the some of the Church's most committed youth on issues such as the Vatican's opposition to condom use to prevent the spread of Aids. Pro-condom posters...

A woman dressed as a bishop leads an anti-religion demonstration in Cologne August 19, 2005. Pope Benedict arrived in his German homeland on Thursday on the first international trip of his pontificate, a visit to the World Youth Day attended by hundreds of thousands of young Catholics. After the jubilant reception he received from 400,000 young Catholics Benedict's agenda centred on the closed-door talks at the presidential villa in nearby Bonn and the religious meetings in Cologne. REUTERS/Pawel Kopczynski Demonstrators dressed as a priest and a nun kiss in front of a large model dinosaur during an anti-religion demonstration in...

I was reading this account of the Pope's trip along the river today, even the repairing of the cross and it struck me how literally the Prophecy of St. John Bosco alluded to in this blog earlier is being fulfilled. An icon of Mary was right beside the cross next to the Pope on the boat and as soon as the boat landed the Pope made his way to the Blessed Sacrament at the conclusion of the trip. Remarkable! As you may recall the original prophecy refers to two popes...the first most definitely was John Paul II and of...

POPE Benedict XVI was no more than a white speck to most of the tens of thousands of young Catholics who lined the banks of the Rhine today, but most went away happy. "I will never forget this day, it was an awesome experience. He seemed so full of joy as he waved to us," said Colleen Ackerman, 25, from Cape Town. For Colleen and most of the crowd, it was their first view of a pope in the flesh and the man greeting them from the upper deck of the river cruiser did not disappoint. "We feel blessed that...

"Let Yourselves Be Surprised by Christ!" COLOGNE, Germany, AUG. 18, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the message Benedict XVI addressed from a ship on the Rhine River this afternoon to young people gathered in Cologne. * * * [In German] Dear Young People, I am delighted to meet you here in Cologne on the banks of the Rhine! You have come from various parts of Germany, Europe and the rest of the world as pilgrims in the footsteps of the Magi. Following their route, you too want to find Jesus. Like them, you have begun this journey in...

COLOGNE, Germany (CNS) -- Hundreds of thousands of young people gave Pope Benedict XVI a rousing welcome on the banks of the Rhine River, cheering as he urged them to discover the "liberating experience of the church." The pope used his first World Youth Day encounter Aug. 18 to cast a wide spiritual invitation, asking youths -- whether baptized or unbaptized, practicing or nonpracticing -- to open their hearts to God. "Let yourselves be surprised by Christ. Let him have the 'right of free speech' during these days," the pope said. An estimated 300,000 youths lined the riverbanks, some standing...