Member of Pontifical Council for the Laity, Responds
VATICAN CITY, AUGUST 11 (ZENIT.org).- For five days an elderly man of 80 will hold the attention of more than one million youths. This is anything but easy to understand, and it is not the first time, either. There were even more young people in Manila in 1997, and the following year, the Pope attracted 1.2 million youngsters to Paris.
This "star" of youth neither sings, nor dances, nor beats speed records in the 100-meter dash. The only thing he offers hundreds of thousands of youths is a message of life.
What will John Paul II say to the youth of the world when he meets with them in Rome on World Youth Day? This question was posed to Bishop Renato Boccardo, who for the past decade has headed the Youth Office of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, and who previously served the Holy See in important Apostolic Nunciatures. The Bishop is in charge of the welcome. Yesterday, in fact, he met with the Pope, along with his superiors in the Council, to bring the Holy Father up to date on preparations for this Great Jubilee event.
"The Pope already announced what he will say when he chose the theme of the World Day and sent the traditional message he writes a year ahead of time to prepare youth for the event. Over the last few days, at different times he has stressed the importance of this celebration, inviting youths to be well prepared and telling them he awaits them in Rome. The central message will be the proclamation of the Church's faith in God made man, Emmanuel, God with us. This faith then becomes a commitment in daily life for the youths who will have to take on important responsibilities in society and the Church in the third millennium that is just beginning," the young priest from northern Italy said.
Zenit - The World Seen From Rome