Thousands flock to Sydney for papal visit

THOUSANDS of pilgrims have converged on Sydney as it braced itself for this weekend’s arrival of the Pope and the start of World Youth Day, the biggest event held in Australia since the 2000 Olympics.

After five years of planning the massive Roman Catholic festival will finally kick off on Tuesday and run through to next Sunday, attracting more than 200,000 pilgrims to Sydney.

Nuns decked out in habits and brightly-coloured World Youth Day backpacks strolled through the city, as event organisers worked frantically to keep up with the ever-expanding flocks of faithful and Sydney residents steeled themselves for traffic nightmares.

Pope Benedict XVI will arrive tomorrow and rest for a few days before leading a series of prayer gatherings and meetings on Thursday.

He will then take a boat trip on Sydney Harbour, followed by a welcome ceremony and papal motorcade through downtown.

Tens of thousands are expected to participate in a walking pilgrimage across Sydney’s famed Harbour Bridge, which links the north and south portions of the city and offers a sweeping view of the harbour and opera house. Other events include a re-enactment of the 12 stations of the cross in various parts of the city and a “sleep out under the stars”, during which pilgrims will spend the final night of festivities sleeping outdoors at a racetrack.

An electronic clock outside St Mary’s Cathedral in downtown Sydney ticked down the days remaining before the festival’s start, while a giant welcome tent across the street swarmed with pilgrims taking a break from the chilly day to mull over stacks of World Youth Day sweatshirts, hats and scarves for sale.

Despite the pilgrims’ excitement, the festival has attracted a fair amount of controversy. The NoToPope Coalition, made up of gay rights, student and atheist groups, is planning a July 19 march to protest what it calls the Pope’s homophobic and antiquated ideas. The Church bans the use of condoms and other forms of artificial birth control and the coalition planned to distribute condoms to young pilgrims in response.