Not being Catholic, I was not aware of what World Youth Day was or that it even existed. Yet, thousands of Catholic youth began arriving in Germany over this past weekend and Monday for this event of spiritual renewal for young people. The event will culminate with Pope Benedict XVI flying into Köln (about 30 km from Düsseldorf) on Thursday evening for a Sunday mass where 120,000 attendees are expected.
For Germans, what makes this rather special is that the site of the event was selected long before the new pope, who is German, was elected. Like most events, there is not universal support for this youth festival, although I suspect it has more to do with church doctrine, politics, and hype than anything specifically related to the youth day event. Estimates project that 800,000 people from 193 countries are expected to attend the event sometime during the week.
All I know is that I am seeing hundreds of youth pitching their tents along the Rhine across the street from my apartment. With Düsseldorf being so close to Köln, it is not surprising that surrounding cities would play host to these youth as well. Earlier this week on my nightly jog, I saw a tent city being constructed along the river banks with everything from sleeping tents, to meeting tents, to a church sanctuary, restaurants, and restrooms. Reminded me a bit of Waxahachie youth camp minus the camp buildings and with a lot more people.
Last night I heard music coming from the general direction of the river…strains of “I Love Rock and Roll” and The Doobie Brothers hit “Listen to the Music”….not exactly the music I heard at youth camp but apparently the World's Youth appreciate good old-fashioned rock-n-roll.
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