Sydney, Australia, Jul 14, 2008 / 05:49 am
Archbishop of Sydney Cardinal George Pell welcomed all to World Youth Day celebrations at a press conference this morning, one day before the official proceedings begin.
"World Youth Day will be a very pleasant surprise for Sydneysiders," said the cardinal. "One central aim of World Youth Day is to present the person and the teachings of Jesus Christ certainly to young Catholics, majority of young people who are Christians and especially to those young Australians who don't know much about religion and are searching for something to hold onto."
Also present Philip Wilson Archbishop of Adelaide, and President of the Catholic Bishops Conference who relayed that communities across Australia who had received pilgrims “felt strongly blessed themselves.”
“These experiences, where there is personal contact between the pilgrims and the members of the local church are very important,” said Archbishop Wilson.