Pope urges 1.5m young Catholics to spread faith

POPE Benedict yesterday urged 1.5 million young Catholics in an aerodrome near Madrid to spread the gospel to others seeking better values than modern society offers.

“We cannot encounter Christ and not want to make him known to others. So do not keep Christ to yourselves. Share with others the joy of your faith,” he said in a sermon as part of the Catholic Church’s World Youth Day.

The Pope, closing a four-day trip to Spain which has been marked by protests, told pilgrims from up to 190 countries that they have been given “the extraordinary task” of being missionaries of Christ in other countries filled with young people looking for better values.

“And, because their heart tells them that more authentic values do exist, they do not let themselves be seduced by the empty promises of a lifestyle which has no room for God.”

Hundreds of thousands of young people, bearing flags from their countries and wearing hats to protect themselves from the sun, prayed, applauded and cheered during the service.

The Pope read his sermon from a white throne under a gold tree, with Spain’s King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia looking on. A choir and orchestra dressed in blue and adorned with white lilies accompanied the Mass.

The Pope led a prayer vigil at the Cuatro Vientos aerodrome on Saturday evening, but heavy rain prevented him from reading a prepared speech in which he had made a veiled criticism of Spain’s legalisation of gay marriages and abortion.

An electric storm followed a day of sweltering heat in Madrid, and wind during the night damaged tents, injuring seven people.

Emergency services helped more than 1,500 young people during Saturday’s vigil, most with heat-related complaints.

But hundreds of thousands of people again packed the aerodrome yesterday to join the Mass, the highlight of week-long celebrations.

“When you’re at home you just think you’re alone in your faith, but when you pray with over a million people it just changes things,” said Katharina Eisen, 18, from Germany.

Heavy security has surrounded the pontiff, with roads cut off to traffic and thousands of police on the streets. The cost of the Pope’s trip to Madrid has angered some Spaniards struggling with recession.

Organisers say the visit costs the taxpayer nothing. Critics have put the cost at about €100 million, mainly in security expenses.

The trip has reignited criticism by Los Indignados (The Indignant Ones), whose mainly young members occupied Madrid’s Puerta del Sol square in May to protest high unemployment and government spending cuts.