(July 24, 2008) World Youth Day 2011 will bring Europe a message of hope, not controversy,
says a Vatican spokesman. Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi commented on the next World
Youth Day, to be hosted by Madrid in three years. Pope Benedict XVI announced the
venue for the event when he closed World Youth Day '08 in Sydney last Sunday. Father
Lombardi acknowledged on Vatican Radio that "Europe is a continent where the confrontation
between faith and the problems of modern society, of secularization is always alive."
He added: "The Pope often speaks of the risk that Europe might lose its fundamental
values, linked to Christian tradition and to the faith's contribution to the continent's
development.” This will certainly be one of the topics and objectives of the next
World Youth Day, but without controversies and without the will to oppose the world
that surrounds us." Recalling Pope’s visit for the 2006 World Meeting of Families
in Valencia, Spain, Federico Lombardi said that the message was "entirely positive,
centred on the beauty of being Christian, in today's family." Regarding the Youth
Day in Spain, he affirmed that Pope’s message will be one of hope, a message that
shows how faith offers a beautiful and great contribution for the future of our societies
and of the world.