The media office at WYD08 has published some final statistics from the historic WYD Down Under: PILGRIMS & ATTENDANCE 70,000 international pilgrims took part in Days of the Diocese throughout Australia during the week before WYD08 150,000 attended the Opening Mass at Barangaroo and CBD sites In excess of 400,000 people attended the Final Mass ...read more

This blog comes from Marilena Berardinelli, a young Toronto based Catholic teacher and WYD08 participant. No one WYD is the same. Each WYD is flavoured by such things as the vision of its organizing committee, the charm of its host city and by the spirit of the pilgrims themselves. My experience in Rome (2000) was ...read more

Here is the Holy Father’s address at the Farewell Ceremony at Sydney International Airport, Monday Morning. Dear Friends in Christ, I thank Cardinal Pell for his kind words and I am pleased to have this opportunity to bid farewell to all of you and to say what a wonderful experience this week has been. During ...read more

After praying the Angelus, Pope Benedict had a special announcement: “The time has come for me to say good-bye – or rather, to say arrivederci! I thank you all for your participation in World Youth Day 2008, here in Sydney, and I look forward to seeing you again in three years’ time. World Youth Day ...read more

The following is the Holy Father’s Angelus address, delivered at the conclusion of the Final Mass at Randwick Raceway, and just prior to the recitation of the Angelus prayer. Dear Young Friends, In the beautiful prayer that we are about to recite, we reflect on Mary as a young woman, receiving the Lord’s summons to ...read more

The following are the concluding words at the Final Mass addressed to Pope Benedict XVI by the president of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, Cardinal Stanis?aw Ry?ko. Holy Father, The twenty-third World Youth Day is drawing to a close. Here before you are the young pilgrims who have come from every corner of the ...read more

The following is the Holy Father’s homily from the Final Mass at the Southern Cross Precinct at Randwick Raceway on Sunday morning. Dear Friends, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you” (Acts 1:8). We have seen this promise fulfilled! On the day of Pentecost, as we heard in the first reading, ...read more

More pictures below…. All photos courtesy of WYD2008/Getty Images ...read more

The following is the Holy Father’s address to the young people at the Evening Vigil. Dear Young People, Once again this evening we have heard Christ’s great promise – “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you”. And we have heard his summons – “be my witnesses throughout the world” – ...read more

The following is the Holy Father’s text from the Saturday altar dedication celebration at St. Mary’s Cathedral, in Sydney. Dear Brothers and Sisters, In this noble cathedral I rejoice to greet my brother Bishops and priests, and the deacons, religious and laity of the Archdiocese of Sydney. In a very special way, my greeting goes ...read more