345,000 REGISTERED FOR
WORLD YOUTH DAY
COLOGNE, Germany, JUNE
14, 2005 (Zenit.org).- About 345,000 young people have
already registered for World Youth Day in Cologne, an
organizer says.
Matthias Kopp, spokesman of the German organization
of the event, said today that more than 70% of those
registered are Europeans. The French are in first place,
followed by the Spanish and Italians, according to the
Italian Web page of World Youth Day.
About 16% of those registered are from the United
States, 5% from Asia, 4% from Latin America and 2.5%
from Africa.
Benedict XVI will close World Youth Day on Aug. 21.
GERMAN
FAMILIES OPEN THEIR DOORS FOR YOUTH DAY
20,000 Volunteers Poised
to Help With August Event
COLOGNE, Germany, MAY 8,
2005 (Zenit.org).- Families in Cologne have offered
58,000 places for young people to stay during World
Youth Day this August.
With 100 days left to go,
the residents' generous response has even surprised the
organizers of the event, who requested 80,000 beds,
reported the Italian newspaper Avvenire. Benedict XVI is
scheduled to appear at the event.
Meanwhile, preparations
continue to receive some 800,000 participants for the
event that will take place Aug. 15-21.
The number of volunteers
registered to assist with the organization already
exceeds 20,000, the figure originally requested. Almost
1,500 of them are non-Catholic Christians, and more than
500 either practice a non-Christian religion, or are
atheist.
Volunteers will be in
charge of order, information, the distribution of meals
and support for the handicapped.
Christoph Wild, director
of the organization of the volunteers, is pleased
because 20,000 individuals -- 70% younger than 30 --
already guarantee the normal functioning of the
different World Youth Day activities.
The volunteers represent
different nationalities, although most of them are from
Germany, and they will not be financially compensated
for their work. Their travel and accommodation expenses,
however, will be covered and they will be given a
pilgrim's backpack.
The World Youth Day cross
is back in Cologne, after having been taken to many
cities of the continent and German dioceses in spiritual
preparation for the event. Last Saturday, the cross was
taken in procession to the Cathedral of Altenberg.
Hundreds of young people
of local Catholic associations accompanied the cross for
25 kilometers (15 miles), praying and singing WYD songs,
which have already been recorded on a CD.
The German government has
allocated 7.5 million euros to World Youth Day, in
addition to the necessary logistics for the security of
the Pope and participants.
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