Joy, hope at WYD

It is an unfortunate reality that when “youth” and “Church” appear in the same sentence the words too often relate to revelations about abuse or to laments for a time when young people flocked to the sacraments.

So it is important now to pause and reflect on the remarkable story unfolding in Madrid where more than one million young pilgrims (including some 6,000 Canadians) are about to gather at World Youth Day for six days of prayer and worship.

There are few, if any, events that can attract so vast a world-wide gathering. Lady Gaga and other pop icons  only dream of pulling in such crowds.  The headliner for Madrid is Pope Benedict XVI and, like Blessed John Paul II before him, the Holy Father will deliver a message that is counter-cultural in many ways.

More than at any time in history, youth are bombarded with media urgings to seek happiness by accumulating material possessions, building wealth and gaining popularity. It is a self-indulgent mantra that disparages spirituality in favour of secular indulgence.

In Madrid, from Aug. 16 to 21, youth from the four corners of the Earth will assemble to celebrate what is truly important in their lives. World Youth Day is counter-cultural. Its message rejects popular consumerism and asserts that true happiness flows from faith. When young people gather by the tens of thousands in Madrid streets they will be publicly asserting that it is cool to be Catholic.

That has been the underlying message for all 11  World Youth Days since the inaugural event in 1986. Young people gather in faith and through a joyful celebration spread hope around the world to Catholics of all ages.

That’s why The Register is attending WYD and will provide daily coverage online and through Twitter, with a comprehensive follow-up report in our next newspaper edition.

In Spain, formerly a proudly Catholic nation now losing its way, the message will have particular resonance.  Less than 20 per cent of Spanish Catholics attend Mass and barely 10 per cent of youths practise their faith. Over the past decade, Spain has amended its laws to make divorce and abortion easier while legalizing same-sex marriage. Earlier this year, the Pope expressed displeasure at what he called Spanish society’s “hostility to the faith” and marginalization of religion “through defamation and ridicule.”

World Youth Day will bypass Spain’s secular institutions and deliver the country — and the world — a buoyant proclamation of hope and joy. But unlike sermons from the pulpit, this proclamation will rise up from the streets in the faces and the voices of up to one million youth who are set to join hands in God’s name.

It will be a powerful declaration and one we all should celebrate.