Young Woman Jumps Barrier To Give Pope Country's Flag
VATICAN CITY, AUGUST 17 (ZENIT.org).- The 5,000 Chilean youths who have come to Rome for World Youth Day are spreading unbounded enthusiasm and spontaneity in Rome. They are unique among the delegations, and have caught the attention of the Italian press.
On August 15, no sooner had the Pope greeted the youths, than a young Chilean woman jumped over a barrier and ran up to the Pope. The cameras immortalized the moving scene: kneeling before the Holy Father, with her head in John Paul II's arms, Gabriela Lazo placed her country's flag on the Pope's knees. He gave her an affectionate pat.
Chile is participating in the Youth Jubilee with a 5,000-strong delegation from all the dioceses of the country, led by 37 priests. They wear red caps, which distinguish them from the crowd, and a backpack that is quite different from all the others. It is obvious that over the past few years, Chile has benefited from very special pastoral care of youth. The journey to Rome "is not a tourist trip but a pilgrimage," Rodrigo Muñoz said. Muñoz, a member of the Schönstatt movement, is the coordinator of a group of 83 youths from the Concepción diocese.
"There is a very well thought-out pastoral plan for youth in Chile today. It is very well articulated. The October 1998 continental meeting in Santiago, Chile, was an important stage to prepare for this Jubilee Day." There were half a million, even "without the Pope," Retired Archbishop Francisco José Cox of La Serena, said smilingly.
"The meeting represented the point of departure to come to Rome," initiating a great undertaking of self-funding and internal organization. Diego Mundaga, one of the 400 pilgrims from Concepcion, said, "My parents are nonbelievers. However, when they heard I was coming to Rome and saw my enthusiasm, they did not stop me." With conviction, he added "Faith and Christianity make life more human, more interesting. We must adhere to Christian ideals, commit ourselves and, consequently, live them."
Archbishop Cox said that when the Pope went to Chile in 1987, these young people were children, adolescents, or at most in their 20s. "However, it should be known that the impact of that visit was truly enormous. 13 years later, very many remember the moment in the national stadium in Santiago when, with a great gesture, the Pope pointed out to the masses the picture of Jesus, saying, almost shouting: 'Meet Christ!'"
The youths in Rome today came from all the dioceses, including one from Easter Island. "Youth pastoral care means a great social commitment. This is carried out in hospitals, in small centers, especially in rural areas, where youths spend their summer months helping the people of the villages. At night, in the cities, a network of help to the poor gets underway. Youths are involved, and encouraged to participate, to be committed in the University, and in the realm of work," Archbishop Cox explained.
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