Work begins for 2013 World Youth Day in Rio

August 29, 2011

In an interview with the Vatican newspaper, the president of the Pontifical Council for the Laity discussed preparations for the 2013 World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro.

“The great wooden cross that always arrives before WYD will be like a plow in Brazil, tilling the ground for seeds,” said Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko. “It will arrive in the Archdiocese of São Paulo and there start a pilgrimage to each of the country’s 274 dioceses over the two years preparation for the event.”

“It’s very important to insist on the fact that after you have turned the spotlights off and everyone goes back to daily life, you need to follow up WYD with pastoral ministry,” he added as he reflected on the 26th World Youth Day in Spain. “During the meetings in Madrid there were so many seeds sown, thanks to the presence and words of Benedict XVI, both so penetrating. But now comes the harvest time, the time of verification: we need to see how what we have invested in the Universal Church has been received and cultivated in the local ones. Above all, the young people who have chosen the consecrated or priestly life deserve special care, so that their vocation is not just a momentary spark.”

 

---

For all current news, visit our News home page.

---

 
Further information:

• Already at work for Rio 2013: First contact with Cardinal Ry?ko and the Brazilians in charge (L’Osservatore Romano)