All those present at WYD 2008 in Sydney will surely remember the outburst of joy at the end of the ceremony when Pope Benedict XVI announced that the next meeting of young people with the Successor of Peter would be in Madrid. At that time, it seemed that 16-21 August 2011 was very far away in the future. Now we have almost arrived at this great event so awaited by young people. There has been intense work in the field of youth pastoral ministry all over the world for the past few years. WYD has become part of life for the universal Church, and it is an ongoing stimulus to the Church’s commitment to the younger generations.
The reasons why the Spanish capital was chosen to host the next WYD are given by the Holy Father in his message for WYD 2011: “Now, at a time when Europe greatly needs to rediscover its Christian roots, our meeting will take place in Madrid with the theme: ‘Planted and built up in Jesus Christ, firm in the faith’ (cf. Col 2:7). I encourage you to take part in this event, which is so important for the Church in Europe and for the universal Church. I would like all young people – those who share our faith in Jesus Christ, but also those who are wavering or uncertain, or who do not believe in him – to share this experience, which can prove decisive for their lives. It is an experience of the Lord Jesus, risen and alive, and of his love for each of us” (Message of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI for the twenty-sixth World Youth Day 2011). Here the Pope is confirming the basic aim of each WYD: evangelisation in which young people are the prime movers. It is important to remember this as we get ready to leave for Madrid. This insistence on the importance of faith certainly does not mean that the Church is indifferent to the serious problems being faced by young people today. Quite the contrary! The Holy Father clearly says: “only those who recognize God know reality and are able to respond to it adequately and in a truly human manner. The truth of this thesis becomes evident in the face of the collapse of all the systems that marginalise God. [...] If we do not know God in and with Christ, all of reality is transformed into an indecipherable enigma; there is no way, and without a way, there is neither life nor truth” (Inaugural Session of the Fifth General Conference of the Bishops of Latin America and the Caribbean, address by Pope Benedict XVI, Aparecida, 13 May 2007). The Church teaches us to look at things more deeply and never to lose sight of what is most important.
Every WYD is a wonderful experience of the Church as a friend of youth that shares in their problems, a Church at the service of the younger generations. It is an experience of the universal Church – an experience unlike any other – that embraces the whole planet, and of a young Church that is full of enthusiasm and missionary fervour. It is an epiphany of Christian faith with truly planetary dimensions. Young people – especially those in the old continent of Europe which is extremely secularised – are in particular need of all of this.
The Madrid WYD looks to the sign of the recent beatification of John Paul II, the founder of WYD. In this way, PopeWojtyla returns among the young people whom he so loved and by whom he was loved. Now he returns as Blessed Patron and Protector. Each WYD is a time of evangelical planting. It is a gift to be accepted with gratitude and with a great sense of responsibility. Let us therefore entrust our intercessions to the Patron Saints of WYD, and in a special way to Blessed John Paul II, that our planting may bear much fruit in the lives of so many young people today.
