Turn to religion: Pope

ROME, AUG. 20. It was like a vast jamboree. The 15-acre grounds of the Tango Oscar Romeo Vergata university outside Rome was thick with over two million young Catholics from 160 countries around the world. They had come to celebrate the World Youth Day and listen to the 80- year-old Pope John Paul II through a night of prayer and song and a special Mass celebrated on Sunday morning.

Rome's Mayor, Francesco Rutelli, said the gathering was the biggest of its kind in Europe in over a decade.

The Pope called on the young to abjure a life of materialism and pleasure and to seek to swell the ranks of the Catholic church. The Pope who looked exhausted often held his head in his two hands that shook badly, the sign of Parkinson's disease from which he suffers. But he remained alert throughout the two-hour ceremony listening keenly to the service.

The night before he had stayed awake until a little after midnight, arriving by helicopter to the university grounds. He returned to his palace to catch a few hours sleep before coming back to celebrate Mass on Sunday morning.

The young camped on the grounds for the night. Several people fainted from the heat and had to be treated in hundreds of first aid tents set up by the police. But the heat not withstanding, Saturday's vigil was lively with prayers and songs. The evening ended with spectacular fireworks offered by the city of Rome.

The Pope said young people were often ``tempted by the illusion of an easy and comfortable life, by drugs and pleasure seeking,'' and asked them to resist by turning to religion. He expressed the hope that many would opt for a life of religion.

``May every community always have a priest to celebrate the Eucharist,'' he said. ``I asked the Lord, therefore, to raise from among you many holy vocations to the priesthood.''

The Catholic church has seen both, its congregations and its religious orders, dwindle in number. The Third World now provides the majority of postulants and novices to churches and convents around the world and the Pope appealed to the mainly European crowd to make its contribution.

The Day was started by Pope John Paul 15 years ago. The event, held every two years, has grown in magnitude and the response here was phenomenal.

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Section  : International
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