A fantastic Zenit interview on WYD '08 in Sydney

Zenit has an interview posted tonight previewing the schedule for WYD '08 in Sydney, Australia. It reveals some very exciting details, helpful tips and fruitful quotes - many of which I'm going to reprint below (so people see them easily), but I recommend reading the whole interview.

Archbishop Stanislaw Rylko has called the master plan for the 2008 Sydney World Youth Day a "masterpiece." The archbishop, president of the Pontifical Council for Laity, approved Tuesday the final project for the World Youth Day, which has been in the works for more than two years. [the Aussies have a history of preparing large events well - remember 2000 Olympics in Sydney?]

This is a program for anyone in the world who wants to join in as a way to prepare themselves for Sydney. They can join us through an "E-pilgrimage" and receive a pack of spiritual preparation monthly that will include scriptures, prayer, the life of a saint, testimonies from young people, as well as practical information about World Youth Day in Sydney. [we'll be sure to find out when that goes live]

We are very determined that we are going to offer people a very genuine pilgrimage experience. Though it's true that we don't have ancient cathedrals with the relics of saints, what we do have is a young culture, a young Church that wants to be a place of living saints. We believe the pilgrims will help make Australia into a true pilgrimage center where they will meet Jesus Christ and where they'll experience his Holy Spirit. [sounds like a good philosophy to me]

It's also not as impossibly expensive as they might imagine either. We are saying to young Europeans, or to North and South Americans for instance, that for the packages for WYD, the airfare, spending money, etc., why not set aside about 2 euros a day and you'll be able to easily afford all of those requirements. The package received once in Australia -- that is your food, accommodation, transport, health insurance, etc. -- is the equivalent of one or two tickets to see your favorite performer in concert. This is not big money we're talking about, given what young people save for other things. We are certainly doing everything in our power to make it as accessible to as many young people in the world as want to come. And for those in poor countries, let me assure you that we'll be doing everything we can to make it possible for you to come too. We don't just want rich, young Catholics to be there, we want everyone there. [save up early, and only have to save up a little]

Part of that cooperation is the promise that we'll be able to offer free visas to the young people of the world; no caps or limits on any particular country, as there have been in some previous WYDs.

Then, in terms of the vigil and final Mass, our plan is to hold that at our Olympic site which is very central in Sydney and has fabulous public transport going straight into it.

We've arranged the most beautiful and moving pilgrimage walk that WYD has had in all its history. We're planning that they will walk over the five bridges of Sydney: the ANZAC Bridge, the Harbor Bridge, the Iron Cove Bridge, the Gladesville Bridge and the Ryde Bridge to Homebush Olympic Park.

[there will be] the biggest crowds in the history of our country will be gathered for the final Mass of the World Youth Day.

My hope would be for a genuine, deep renewal of the whole life of the Church in my country. But, then I hope that through the experience of World Youth Day in Australia, this won't just be a really exciting week for a lot of young people who simply go back to work afterwards, but that this will be a change in the lives of all young people in attendance. I hope that it will be a time for a deeply moving encounter with Christ and his Church, and a time to experience the power of the Holy Spirit, and that they will return as witnesses to Jesus Christ -- really wanting to show the world what they believe -- and show the world a way to be good and true and beautiful. [Amen!]

Might I mention that I'd make an excellent youth correspondent? *hint* ;-)