Pilgrims spent the morning registering with organizers and collecting their pilgrim
kits in Madrid, Spain, while throughout the day pilgrims prepared for Mass at 8 this
evening in Cibeles Square. Marian Fr. Bernard Luedtke from St Albert the Great parish
in Detroit, Michigan is leading a group of pilgrims to World Youth Day. "These young
people," he said, are willing to encounter any difficulty," in order to participate.
Fr. Luedtke told us the highlight of the event is the experience of communion with
the Pope. "[These young people] have found their faith," he said, "We go to Madrid
so we can truly be one with our beloved Holy Father." Pope Benedict XVI is scheduled
to arrive on the 18th, and preside over the climactic events of World Youth
Day, including the solemn Mass concluding WYD Madrid 2011 on Sunday the 21st.
Listen