A total of 40 young people from Lanzarote will take a plane to Madrid on August 16 to attend the World Youth Day with Pope Benedict XVI, which is expected to be attended by a total of 2 million people.
It was more than three years ago, on July 20, 2008, when the Pope announced in Sydney, Australia, that Madrid would host these youth days in 2011, according to these young people from Lanzarote to La Voz. The last time Spain hosted a similar event was in 1989 in Santiago de Compostela, where Pope John Paul II was present, the "inventor of these youth macro events".
The 40 young people from Lanzarote have been preparing their visit to Madrid for some time. It all started on April 30, 2010, when "the cross of the young people and the icon of the Virgin Mary" arrived at the port of Playa Blanca from Fuerteventura. The cross and the image of the Virgin were transferred to the church of San Ginés, in Arrecife, where several religious events took place. This cross began to travel through Spanish geography in 2009 and ended its journey on July 18 at the Almudena Cathedral in Madrid.
According to these young people, "the Cross of the World Youth Day or Cross of the Young People is a wooden cross of 3.8 meters high, which was given to the young people by John Paul II on the day of 1984 in Rome". The Pope entrusted the young people with the task of taking it around the world "as a symbol of Jesus' love for humanity".
In 2003, John Paul II also gave an image of the Virgin Mary to accompany the cross on its "pilgrimage". The two symbols have made a journey visiting the Catholic dioceses as preparation for these events.
Scenarios
The meeting that will take place in Madrid, in addition to being religious, also has cultural overtones, as numerous concerts and artistic exhibitions will take place. The main stages are located in the Plaza de Cibeles, in the Plaza de España, in Colón and at the Cuatro Vientos airfield. In this space, the vigil with the Holy Father will take place on Saturday, August 20. On the 21st, the farewell mass will be celebrated.
This World Youth Day will bring together many Catholic youth from all over the world. This event is held every three years. "Attending the World Youth Day is participating in the most international and numerous event organized by the Catholic Church in the world," explain the young people from Lanzarote.
