Pope’s routes through city down under are designed for maximum visibility.
Posted: 07.17.08
CNS | ALESSIA GIULIANI, CATHOLIC PRESS PHOTO
Pope Benedict XVI admires the view as he makes his way by boat through Sydney Harbor July 17 in Sydney, Australia.
SYDNEY | Tens of thousands of people, including pilgrims and local residents, lined Sydney’s foreshore to catch a glimpse of Pope Benedict XVI as the papal boat–a–cade made its way from its origin in Rose Bay around to Barangaroo, where he made his first official World Youth Day appearance.
Traveling on board the Sydney 2000, the pope was accompanied by 530 people, including 60 Australian cardinals and bishops, the papal entourage, 10 indigenous representatives, 160 international pilgrims and 20 young Australians in the cruise around the harbor.
“The route was designed so that as many people as possible could get a good vantage point from the foreshore,” said World Youth Day spokesman Father Mark Podesta. “His Holiness stood waving in full view of the crowd on board the vessel. It looked very impressive against the backdrop of our beautiful harbor.”
The papal vessel was closely shadowed by a VIP craft and a media boat while another 10 passenger cruise boats carrying 1,900 pilgrims followed the flotilla around the harbour.
The Holy Father’s boat arrived at Barangaroo at 3:30 p.m., greeted by an indigenous honor guard. He as welcomed by Cardinal George Pell of Sydney and the president of the Australian Catholic Bishop’s Conference Archbishop Philip Wilson, before he spoke to the 140,000 pilgrims in attendance at Barangaroo.
“Pope Benedict arrived by boat to Barangaroo today, a waterfront district in Sydney, to shouts of joy–filled pilgrims,” said Dominic Buckley, a seminarian for the Diocese of Orlando who was there as a pilgrim journalist for the Florida Catholic. Our group was dead center stage but all the way in back of the crowd. As we waited, listened and prayed with the Holy Father I couldn’t help but notice something — an air of calm and peace that invited the pilgrims the chance to listen with undivided heart and mind.”
Shortly after his speech, Pope Benedict entered the Popemobile, a vehicle manufactured by Mercedes Benz and was delivered from Italy to carry his Holiness through the Sydney streets, where hundreds of thousands people witnessed the procession.
Cara Catalfumo, a Florida Catholic pilgrim journalist from the Diocese of Palm Beach, opted to watch the pope’s arrival and speech at Barangaroo on television in a cafe along the motorcade route, but ran outside to see him pass by in the popemobile.
“It was fantastic,” she said.
Pope Benedict’s big day out concluded when the motorcade reached St. Mary’s Cathedral House, the full–time residence of Archbishop of Sydney, where the pope was to reside for the remainder of his stay in Australia.
Earlier in the day, before the boat–a–cade launched from Rose Bay, the pope stopped in North Sydney to pray at the tomb of Australia’s only beatified person, Blessed Mary MacKillop, founder of the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart. The order, which has schools and charitable organizations across Australia, cares for orphans, neglected children, the homeless, sick and aged.
Before commencing the boat–a–cade to Barangaroo, Pope Benedict also sent out his daily text message: “The Holy Spirit is the principal agent of salvation history: let him write your life–history 2! – BXVI.”
Compiled in Orlando by Denise O’Toole Kelly of the Florida Catholic staff from media reports, press releases, pilgrim journalist dispatches and other sources.
