Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Santiago de Compostela (Fides Service) - " Witnesses of Christ for a new Europe of Hope " is the theme of the 2004 European Youth Pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela which draws young people from all over the continent. The occasion is the Holy Year of Compostela which is celebrated every time July 25, feast of St James the Apostle falls on a Sunday. The organisers told Fides that already 20,000 young pilgrims have enrolled for the event but the number is expected to reach the 30,000 mark. Obviously the largest number will come from Spain, but there are sizeable groups coming also from neighbouring countries of Italy, Portugal and France. Significant and important, the participation of small groups from Ukraine 50, and from Lithuania 30. A group of 50 young people will also becoming from Russia accompanied by Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz who will walk the last part of the pilgrimage on foot.
The aim of the pilgrimage, which will take place 5 to 8 August, is to help young European Christians deepen awareness of the continent’s Christian roots and to answer the call Pope John Paul II has made several times for new enthusiasm to tell people about Christ, the only source of real hope, and to work to build a new Europe of Hope.
In a message for the opening of the Holy Year of Compostela on 31 December 2003 the Pope mentioned the meeting of the Commission of the European Bishops’ Conferences and the youth pilgrimage: “These events demonstrate the vitality of the faith of the Church founded on the apostolic preaching of the apostle which is called to project itself fraternally towards America and other continents. Compostela must continue to be a prophetic voice, a brilliant beacon of Christian life and hope for new paths of evangelisation”.
The youth pilgrimage is organised by the Archdiocese di Santiago de Compostela and the Spanish Bishops’ Conference with the support of the Pontifical Council for the Laity and the Pontifical Council for Culture. From 31 July 5 the groups will begin to arrive and start the pilgrimage on foot from various points following one of the 5 planned itineraries. On 5 August there will be the welcoming ceremony and official opening of the European Youth Pilgrimage. Friday 6 August there will be meetings for catechesis which will close with a Pilgrim’s Mass. In the afternoon there will be conferences, workshops, meetings, round tables, which will close with a prayers. Saturday 7 August there will be the Prayer Vigil on Mount Gozo, during which a ‘Letter from the young Christians of Europe’ will be made public. On Sunday 8 August Cardinal Antonio Mª Rouco, archbishop of Madrid and President of the Spanish Bishops’ Conference, the Pope’s Special Envoy to the Youth Pilgrimage, will preside a celebration of Mass in Plaza del Obradoiro, to close the Meeting. During the Mass the young participants make a commitment to build a Europe of Hope.
Various Bishops, besides Cardinal Antonio Mª Rouco Varela, have assured their presence Padre, Cardinal emeritus of Barcelona Ricardo Mª Carles Gordó; Cardinal Carlos Amigo Vallejo, Archbishop of Seville; Archbishop Antonio Cañizares Llovera, of Toledo who will walk part of the way with the young people from his archdiocese; Cardinal José da Cruz Policarpo, Patriarch of Lisbon and many Bishops from other countries of Europe who will accompany their youth groups. (RG)
(Agenzia Fides 15/7/2004 - Righe 41; Parole 543)
For more information see
http://www.pej2004.org
