2008-07-24 12:50:13

World Youth Day 2011 to Bring Hope to Spain


(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.







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