On Church Unity and WYD

The president of the Catholic Bishops ’Conference of India, Cardinal Telesphore, sat for an interview with Asia News. He had enormous praise for Pope Benedict XVI and WYD. He spoke in particular about the universal character of Catholicism revealed by WYD:

“It’s a wonderful feeling here in Cologne, there is a sense of belonging, and this is possible only in the Catholic Church, the Catholic Church makes all boundaries and barriers disappear. The Universal Church is visible and vibrant and this sentiment is being echoed by people of different nations here in Cologne. There is so much enthusiasm among the youth and it is infectious. I spoke to young adults from Mexico yesterday, they are so similar to our own youth back home, and this morning, some Americans and French youth asked me about Asia. There is much interest among the youth to know more about the cultures and traditions of others and most importantly without any prejudices.”

It's easy to lose sight of the fundamental truth of the Roman Catholic Church: we're family. Whatever countries and cultures we hail from, we share that abiding Faith in Christ that unites us all. Christ is our brother as well as our king, and through him we call God our Father and Mary our mother! WYD 2005 offers the world a unique witness to this mystery. No wonder all of the youth possess an infectious joy!

Their joy can be our joy as well. Even though many of us haven't attended WYD 2005, we're a part of their family just the same. We can catch that same enthusiasm that they live right now. The fire that burns in their hearts can leap into ours. All we have to do is let it.