WYD Day Seven Recap

Father Bill Carmody, holding Wilson the volleyball, leads our pilgrim march to the Sydney Exhibition Center for a morning catechesis session. (Herald photo by Bill Howard)

Even though the pope arrived in downtown Sydney yesterday, it feels like he truly arrived today with his opening welcome to the massive pilgrim gathering today at Barangaroo, a sea of parking lots along Darling Harbor that have been converted into a huge gathering space for World Youth Day events.

Due to an unfortunate series of events, our pilgrimage group did not get the ticket package that gets us into all major papal events. Instead, we get into just the vigil and final Mass. So, making the best of a tough situation, the Colorado Springs group headed to an area along the papal motorcade route near St. Mary's Cathedral.

Prior to staking their position for the popemobile, the group attended one of many catechesis sessions being held at the Sydney Convention Center. I'll let some of them discuss the subject of their talk, since I was next door recording Bishop Sheridan's presentation (see upcoming post to listen to the audio). I had heard a few gripes that yesterday's catechesis sessions were not well attended, but that didn't seem to be case today. Most of the rooms I looked into were fairly full. I give the young adults a lot of credit for going when they could've chilled just outside in the beautiful 60-degree weather at the harbor.

The pope gave a great welcoming address, focusing on several topics... the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives, his expected criticisms of relativism and some strong statements about greed and caring for our natural resources. The latter is what the mainstream media will surely pick up on (I'm curious as to what the headlines will be). You can hear the entire address by clicking here. One interesting note... I was expecting deafening applause for the pope when he arrived, but it seemed to be scattered pockets of wild cheering. However, I didn't sense that people weren't into it... rather it seemed everyone was just mesmerized by the scene... that the pope is actually here in person for them. Everyone was glued to the stage as he spoke. Also, the dramatic entry by boat-a-cade was awesome. Nothing like having over 140,000 people jumping in anticipation and then seeing his boat round the corner and pass by the stage. Simply amazing.

Tomorrow, we'll have a laid-back morning before heading to Bishop Sheridan's final catechetical session at the convention center. After that, there will be a mass exodus for groups to stake their claim to good sightlines along the Stations of the Cross route. The stations have become a staple of World Youth Day, with many pilgrims taking part in a procession that typically weaves around city spots. Should be very powerful.

Hard to believe we've crossed the halfway point of our group's time in Sydney. Now that the pope is here, the energy is high and I can expect to hear ocassional chanting and singing along the street outside my hotel until around midnight. Not a bad way to fall asleep.

STREAM: Pope Benedict XVI's opening address for World Youth Day, Barangaroo, Sydney, July 17. (Note: You may need to turn up the volume a tad).