By Jonathan Luxmoore
KRAKOW, Poland (CNS) — St. John Paul II’s former secretary urged young Catholics to share their faith, experiences and hopes and spread a “message of divine mercy” worldwide during World Youth Day.
New Zealand pilgrims at the opening Mass at Blonia.
“We come from every nation under heaven, like those who came in great numbers to Jerusalem on Pentecost Day, but there are incomparably more of us now than 2,000 years ago, because we are accompanied by centuries of preaching the Gospel,” Krakow Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz said during the July 26 opening Mass.
“We bring experience of various cultures, traditions and languages. But what we also bring are testimonies of faith and holiness of our brothers and sisters, followers of the risen Lord, of past generations as well as the current generation,” he said.
The cardinal preached to an estimated 200,000 pilgrims from 187 countries in Krakow’s Blonia Park, a day before the scheduled arrival of Pope Francis.
He said a special clock had been fitted to the front of the city’s cathedral, “counting the days, hours, minutes and seconds,” since 2013, when the city was announced as the venue for World Youth Day this year.
He added that Krakow was the city from where St. John Paul “set off to preach the Gospel,”
New Zealand pilgrims showed the flag at the first major event in World Youth Day in Poland on July 26.
as well as where St. Faustina Kowalska helped spread devotion to Divine Mercy worldwide in the 20th century.
“You have come from all continents and nations, from the East and West, North and South of our globe,” said Cardinal Dziwisz, who was personal secretary to St. John Paul for 39 years.
“You bring with you many experiences. You bring many desires. You speak numerous languages. But starting today, we are going to communicate with each other in the language of the Gospel — a language of love, brotherhood, solidarity and peace.”
Three priests who originally hailed from Dunedin are at World Youth Day in Poland. Frs Peter, Matthew and Simon Devereux are priests with the Legionaries of Christ.
Fr Peter is based in Los Angeles, Fr Matthew in Krakow in Poland and Fr Simon in Connecticut in the United States
Up to 2 million young people were expected to attend World Youth Day July 26-31. Nearly 50 cardinals, 800 bishops and 20,000 priests from around the world also were to attend.
The opening Mass was partially disrupted by heavy rain, which forced the temporary closure of Krakow’s airport. The Mass site featured giant portraits of Sts. John Paul and Faustina by the main altar.
In his homily, Cardinal Dziwisz said young people had come to Krakow from peaceful countries, “where families are communities of love and life and where young people can pursue their dreams,” but also “from countries whose people are suffering due to wars and other kinds of conflicts, where children are starving to death and where Christians are brutally persecuted.”
He added that young Catholics would bring to World Youth Day their experiences of “living the Gospel in a difficult world, as well as their “fears and disappointments, hopes and yearning, and desire to live in a more human, more fraternal and solidary world.”
“Among us are young pilgrims from parts of the world that are ruled by violence and blind terrorism, and where authorities usurp power over man and nations, following insane ideologies,” the cardinal told young pilgrims, who waved flags and banners during the Mass.
“May the flame of love engulf our world and rid it of egoism, violence and injustice, so that a civilization of good, reconciliation, love and peace will be strengthened on our earth.”
Pope Francis was to arrive in Krakow July 27 on his first visit to Poland. He was scheduled to travel to the former Nazi concentration camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau during his stay, as well as leading an open-air Mass at the country’s Jasna Gora national sanctuary. He planned to pray before the relics of St. Faustina at Krakow’s Divine Mercy center.
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