Sydney, Australia, Jul 23, 2008 / 20:19 pm
Pilgrims for World Youth Day have all gone their separate ways with the close of the international Catholic youth gathering. Cardinal George Pell, the Archbishop of Sydney, took time this past Sunday to reflect on the hospitality of Sydney residents, the enthusiasm of the hundreds of thousands of pilgrims, and the “genuine” prayer surrounding the event. With all of this, he said “This is a good time to be Catholic.”
Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, he said that “all Sydney has taken the pilgrims into their hearts.” The cardinal observed how Sydney organizations, such as an Islamic school which provided accommodation for an American group, had helped visiting pilgrims.
Praising the “almost perfect” weather, he then declared that the police had done “a great job” and used “common sense and tact” in maintaining order at the events.
The cardinal said that some 500,000 people had shown “wild enthusiasm” during Pope Benedict XVI’s arrival at Sydney Harbor on Thursday and during the Stations of the Cross on Friday. “The prayer was genuine too,” he said. “With immense crowds you can feel the silence of prayer.”
He described in particular the Thursday welcoming ceremony for the Pope.