推 bosco1983 :cool 讓我回想到上一屆 太棒了 07/17 22:52
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/16/world/asia/16pope.html?_r=1&scp=6&sq=catholic&st=cse&oref=slogin
July 16, 2008
World Youth Day Opens in Sydney
By TIM JOHNSTON
SYDNEY — World Youth Day, the event the Roman Catholic church describes as
the largest gathering of young people on the planet, began Tuesday, with
100,000 people attending a mass on a disused wharf overlooking the sparkling
waters of Sydney harbor.
It was the formal beginning of six days of celebrations which will culminate
on Sunday with a Mass celebrated by Pope Benedict XVI before a predicted
500,000 worshipers.
Like many mainstream Christian denominations, Roman Catholicism is struggling
to maintain its following.
Young people are at the center of the battle.
“Many young people today lack hope,” the pope said last week. “They are
perplexed by the questions that present themselves ever more urgently in a
confusing world, and they are often uncertain which way to turn for answers.”
But the pope believes that those gathered in Sydney could be part of the
solution, and that World Youth Day can be a point of renewal.
“It is my firm belief that young people are called to be instruments of that
renewal, communicating to their peers the joy they have experienced through
knowing and following Christ,” he said.
The 81-year-old pope arrived in Australia on Sunday, but will not formally
join the celebrations until Thursday.
For days, Sydney has been crowded with pilgrims from all over the world,
moving around in happy groups, identifiable by the yellow, orange and red
backpacks that they have been given.
It has been a formidable logistics operation. Thousands of young pilgrims are
sleeping in sports halls, churches and schools across the city.
And the event has found some unusual supporters - 282 pilgrims from
Argentina, Brazil, and the United States are sleeping at the Malek Fahd
Islamic School in a suburb of Sydney.
“This was a good opportunity to extend our hand in friendship and break down
the barriers and misunderstandings between religions,” said Pinad El-Ahmad,
who is in charge of inter-religious activities at the school.
“Hospitality is part of our Islamic teaching. We know that the Prophet
opened his house and mosque to non-Muslims, and so it is only right that we
should do the same,” she said.
Preparations for World Youth Day have not been without controversy.
In an attempt to ensure that the event ran smoothly, the state government in
New South Wales passed a law banning people from “annoying” pilgrims,
sparking protests that it was an infringement on civil liberties.
A federal court Tuesday struck down the law, paving the way for demonstrators
to hand out condoms and coat hangers, references to the Catholic Church’s
opposition to birth control and abortions they say are the inevitable result.
Many Australians are also uncomfortable that the local and federal
governments are subsidizing the event with more than 150 million Australian
dollars. Although Australia does not have the same constitutional separation
of church and state as the United States, some people are unhappy that the
Catholic Church, to which a quarter of Australians belong, appears to be
receiving preferential treatment.
Another longstanding problem also resurfaced.
In the last two weeks, Cardinal George Pell, the archbishop of Sydney, has
come under close scrutiny for his handling of a sexual abuse case involving a
priest.
In 2003, the cardinal sent a letter to an alleged abuse victim, Anthony
Jones, dismissing his claims to have been abused by a priest, in part, he
said, because there had been no other claims against the priest in question,
the Rev. Terence Goodall.
However, on the day he sent the letter to Mr. Jones, the cardinal wrote to
another victim, accepting his abuse claim against Father Goodall.
Cardinal Pell denied any coverup, saying his comments to Mr. Jones were “
badly worded and a mistake.” He has reopened the inquiry into Mr. Jones’s
allegations.
The pope has indicated that he will offer an apology for sexual abuse by
priests, as he did on his recent visit to the United States.
--
※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc)
◆ From: 155.53.1.254