Asian Youth Day ends with a call to witness to Christ

(November 30, 2009) As the 5^th Asian Youth Day came to an end on Friday in the Philippines, the young participants from across Asia were urged to witness to their faith with courage and conviction. "You young people are the hope of the Church in Asia. Share your faith in Jesus with others, with courage and conviction, "Archbishop Orlando Quevedo of Cotabato urged the young people at the end of the November 20-27 Asian Youth Day hosted in Cavite City, just south of Manila. Fr Conrad Amon the spokesman of Asian Youth Day, AYD, said "The hope of this event was to give a new perspective to young people across Asia, that their lives be filled with the Word of God and the Body of Christ. " "In this way,” he said, “young people will be able to face the reality of the world and the difficult situations experienced in their countries." Over 2000 young people from 22 Asian countries, attended the meeting on the theme, “Living he Eucharist.” The next AYD will be organized in 2012 in Seoul (South Korea). Organized for the first time in 1999 in Thailand, AYD is held every three years and develops over three days of meetings of spiritual and cultural reflection. The last meeting was in 2006 in Hong Kong.