Catholic youth festival ends today
The festival which attracted about one million young people from 193 countries is seen as the church’s way to spread the faith to new generations. The festival opened with a Mass held in several languages in Madrid’s Plaza de Cibeles. Numerous Nigerian young Catholics and church workers attended the event which was observed by prayers, […]
The festival which attracted about one million young people from 193 countries is seen as the church’s way to spread the faith to new generations.
The festival opened with a Mass held in several languages in Madrid’s Plaza de Cibeles.
Numerous Nigerian young Catholics and church workers attended the event which was observed by prayers, processions and learning.
Pope Benedict who arrived Madrid on Thursday lamented what he called modern society’s “amnesia” about God.
Benedict told the crowd that their decisions to dedicate their lives to their faith was a potent message in today’s increasingly secular world.
“This is all the more important today when we see a certain eclipse of God taking place, a kind of amnesia which albeit not an outright rejection of Christianity is nonetheless a denial of the treasure of our faith, a denial that could lead to the loss of our deepest identity,” he said.
Benedict’s main priority as pope has been to try to reawaken Christianity in places like Spain, a once staunchly Catholic country that has drifted far from its pious roots.
He has travelled here three times as pope, an indication that he views it as the key battleground as he tries to remind Europe of its Christian heritage and the place he believes God should still have in everyday life.
Despite Benedict’s oft-repeated lament, he has no better evidence that Catholicism is alive and well in Europe than the World Youth Day celebrations in Madrid, the focus of his visit.
That Benedict chose to deliver his message in El Escorial is significant: The massive granite structure constructed by King Philip II in 1559 was his seat of power over a vast empire whose overwhelming international concern was defending the Catholic faith from what it considered the threat of Protestantism and the Reformation.
The building acted much like the White House and the Pentagon at the height of Spain’s international power, throwing its weight and organizational ability behind the Vatican.
Benedict’s visit sparked huge clashes between protesters and police. Protesters were piqued by the cost of the event. They rejected claims by organisers that the pilgrims would bear the costs and staged serial protests resulting in casualties.