2013-07-24 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Copacabana beach was the place to be on Tuesday evening as thousands of people flocked to the famed spot to be part of the Mass celebrating the opening of World Youth Day. Our correspondent Seàn Patrick Lovett was there and sends this report.

I braved the elements and walked six and a half kilometres all the way down the beach to the Mass site. I know it’s six and a half kilometres because there are giant hydrogen balloons floating in the air to tell you how far you have to go. Then I walked back. That’s thirteen kilometres. I did it for you – because I know you’d love to be where I am, to experience what I’m experiencing. And I’m so grateful I did.

Whatever you may or may not have seen on television – believe me it was nothing compared to being there in person. The sights, the sounds, the smells, the sheer old-fashioned excitement of it all: Woodstock (the music), the Olympics (the flags), and a massive beach party (the surf), all rolled into one. And the young people kept on coming: Brazilians mostly (they live here), closely followed by Argentinians (we know why), and then…the rest of the world. Complete strangers stopping to ask you where you are from, others turning to smile (sheepishly, when they’re the same age you are – as if to say “It’s OK…we’re all young at heart”). Everyone wanting you to take their picture. Everyone laughing, singing, dancing – even the occasional bishop doing everything he could to be trendy while trying to keep the sand out of his sash. Street vendors did a roaring trade, selling everything from caps to caipirinhas, from banners to bananas. And the young people kept on coming (some of them later because a portion of the metro broke down for a while). They filled the streets and covered the beach, some even splashed about among the waves of the Atlantic. Then the ceremony itself began – and suddenly it was show-time, with a precision and a pageantry worthy of any Olympic opening ceremony. The WYD Cross arrived and I saw a young girl burst into tears when she reached out to touch it – and couldn’t. I saw a disabled young man being carried over the heads of the crowd like a rock-star – because his wheelchair got stuck in the sand. Then the Mass began – and suddenly it was prayer-time, with an attention and participation worthy of any open-air cathedral. I felt the specialness of it all, the uniqueness of the moment, and the privilege of being able to be there. Listen to Seàn Patrick Lovett's report