Posted: 07.18.08
CNS | L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO
World Youth Day pilgrims join Pope Benedict XVI and Sydney Cardinal George Pell for lunch at St. Mary’s Cathedral rectory July 18 in Sydney, Australia. Among the group was Californian, Armando Cervantes, 27, in the second seat to the right from the pope.
SYDNEY | The pilgrim chosen to represent North America at Pope Benedict’s July 18 World Youth Day luncheon with a dozen young adults from around the world brought a gift familiar to Floridians — a mouse–eared cap personalized with the pontiff’s name.
But neither the pilgrim nor the hat came to Sydney from the vicinity of Walt Disney World. Catholic News Service reported that Armando Cervantes, a 27–year–old director of youth and young adult ministry for the Diocese of Orange, Calif., presented the pope with a classic from the top tourist attraction in his diocese — Disneyland. It was inscribed “Benedict XVI.”
The pope and young people dined on sweet potato and pear soup and chicken Diane, with lemon and passionfruit meringue pie for dessert.
The Holy Father then attended the first station of the Stations of the Cross event — The Last Supper, on the steps of St Mary’s Cathedral — and then watched the remainder of the three–hour event from the Crypt of the Cathedral. The full–scale dramatization of Christ’s death on the cross and the hours preceding it unfolded at sites throughout the city, with pilgrims at each location linked by giant video screens. More than 270,000 people watched the Stations at event sites and hundreds of millions more watched on television.
Cara Catalfumo, a Diocese of Palm Beach pilgrim who is reporting from World Youth Day for the Florida Catholic, was at the station site at Barangaroo.
“The experience was breathtaking and moving. Those presenting it did such a lifelike re–enactment,” she said. “I was blown away to learn that 500 million people globally watched the stations.”
Earlier in the day, the pope prayed with other Christian leaders in the Crypt of St Mary’s Cathedral and met with representatives of other faith traditions in St Mary’s Cathedral Chapter House.
He had started his day in the usual World Youth Day way — with morning prayers and his daily inspirational text message to pilgrims: “The Spirit impels us 4ward 2wards others; the fire of his love makes us missionaries of God’s charity. C U tomorrow nite — 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.
