MORE than 150,000 pilgrims joined an extraordinary celebration to mark the official opening of World Youth Day, with pop songs and fireworks turning the mass into a "Catholic Woodstock". Wild cheers erupted when the biggest youth Mass in Australian history got under way in Sydney's dockside Barangaroo yesterday afternoon.
I'm really glad I'm not home right now - according to my mates WYD is proving a supreme pain in the arse to the locals. Not to mention the fact the repressive "annoyance" laws passed restricting civil liberties for the event and the apparent involvement of Cardinal George Pell (highest ranking Australian catholic) in covering up sexual abuse.
BadBob
Jul 16 2008, 8:27 pm
QUOTE
Sydney businesses can expect a pilgrim-led boom this week, with World Youth Day (WYD) expected to inject about $231 million into the economy..."Given that July is historically the worst month for tourists in Sydney, this is a welcome boost," NSW Business Chamber chief executive officer Kevin MacDonald said.Pilgrims bring business boom to Sydney
MonksTown
Jul 16 2008, 11:18 pm
Don't worry too much Binaural, a court case yesterday ruled that the "annoyance" laws are un-constitutional. Giving free condoms to people attending a mass youth rally is IMVHO very much, loving your neighbour as you love yourself.
yanksavage
Jul 16 2008, 11:23 pm
This is a welcome thread on TT. Thank you BadBob. I believe it shows that the liberal mindset of TT is not pervasive in OZ.
marie-claire
Jul 16 2008, 11:45 pm
QUOTE (Binaural @ Jul 16 2008, 9:17 pm)
Not to mention the fact the repressive "annoyance" laws passed restricting civil liberties for the event and the apparent involvement of Cardinal George Pell (highest ranking Australian catholic) in covering up sexual abuse.
The sexual abuse thing is horrible. Here is an interview with Anthony Foster, who is traveling to Sydney from London to protest: http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/content/2008/s2304686.htm Two of his daughters have been sexually abused by a Melbourne priest. They both never recovered from that experience. One of them committed suicide last year. It's very sad.
MonksTown
Jul 17 2008, 12:06 am
QUOTE (yanksavage @ Jul 17 2008, 12:23 am)
I believe it shows that the liberal mindset of TT is not pervasive in OZ.
Knowing puffs from Townsville to Perth who like a toke and a drink and a shag I beg to differ!
krostitzer
Jul 17 2008, 2:49 am
I bet there's at least a few kids in this group tokin, drinkin' and/or shaggin right now!
But yes m-c it is sad what priests so often do to people who trust in them.
Katrina
Jul 17 2008, 7:01 am
The absolutely stunning weather that the participants are enjoying right now is gut-wrenching to someone sat in rainy, cloudy Munich though. Well, to me at least...
Personally events such as this fascinate me, it's the vastness and the depth of belief. But I went to the Papal Mass in Riem despite not actually being a Catholic. As a spectacle, it is quite the event. Sometimes I wonder if the concept of having a faith, of whichever shade or hue, would be a comfort and in many ways, I actually admire those with that level of commitment. Hmmm. Think am getting a bit too deep in my musings for this early in the day. A cup of tea is in order.
Guy
Jul 17 2008, 8:19 am
I've always wondered why they call it World Youth Day, as though it were not limited to one particular religion/confession.
Binaural
Jul 17 2008, 8:22 am
QUOTE (MonksTown @ Jul 17 2008, 1:06 am)
Knowing puffs from Townsville to Perth who like a toke and a drink and a shag I beg to differ!
Australia is more or less like Europe in religious attitudes - many have some sort of vague beliefs but few actually go to church. It's nothing like the USA, thank god (note: ironic use of "thank god").
Guy - you don't get to be one of the biggest and richest organizations in the world without some sharp advertising practices...
Guy
Jul 17 2008, 8:24 am
QUOTE (Binaural @ Jul 17 2008, 9:22 am)
you don't get to be one of the biggest and richest organizations in the world without some sharp advertising practices...
ah yes, good point.
Hutcho
Jul 17 2008, 11:30 am
Yeh, they know what they are doing. To get people to believe in this religious nonsense, you've got to catch them young for the brainwashing to work.
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict praised the Australian government on Thursday for apologizing for past injustices to Aborigines, saying it was a courageous move to repair race relations and offered hope to the rest of the world.
Aboriginal dancers with painted faces and dressed in animal fur swept the ground with gum leaves in a welcoming ceremony as the pope boarded a boat to cross Sydney Harbour to greet more than 100,000 Catholic pilgrims at World Youth Day.
One woman aboriginal dancer knelt in front of the81-year-old pontiff, handing him a branch of gum leaves, which he waved in the air as he boarded the ship to lead 13 boats up the harbour.
The pope said the ancient heritage of Aborigines, who have been in Australia for some 40,000 years, formed "an essential part of the cultural landscape of modern Australia".
Deccie
Jul 17 2008, 2:48 pm
Why the fcuk call it a world youth day when it runs from Tuesday 15 to Sunday 20 July 2008 Thats nearly a friggin' week.
Another typical catholic church wool over the eyes pulling?
Hutcho
Jul 17 2008, 3:13 pm
Exactly, this isn't "World Youth Day", it's "Catholic Nutcase Week". Thankfully this nonsense is dying out on the whole in Australia.
These are the types of graphs I like to see. It'll be dead altogether in my life time at this rate. Even with these numbers, many people who say they are Catholic in Australia would never go to a church or ever read the bible. It's just their parents said they were Catholic, so they say so too.
BadBob
Jul 17 2008, 3:19 pm
QUOTE
Serving Catholics are 1,390 parishes, 63 bishops, 3,125 priests, 7,950 religious, 40 lay members of secular institutes and 8,192 catechists. Minor seminarians number 83, and major seminarians 244.
Catholic education also has a presence in the country. A total of 736,288 children and young people participate in 2,252 Catholic schools, from kindergartens to universities.
Other Catholic institutions are also active in Australia including: 58 hospitals, 5 clinics, 407 homes for the elderly or disabled, 164 orphanages and nurseries, 210 family counselling centres and other pro-life centres, 480 centres for education and social rehabilitation, and 24 institutions of other kinds.
Thanks for the link, Hutcho.
Binaural
Jul 17 2008, 3:24 pm
The catholic high schools generally have a good reputation relative to regular high schools, even if some would argue that this has a lot to do with an over-generous funding arrangement they enjoy from the state goverments. That said, I personally know several people who claim to be churchgoers so their children can attend them. Minus the religious indoctrination, they generally do good things for the community.
Badbob - don't brag too much about the Catholic church organization as a whole, they're a lot of the reason for the recent "sorry" given to the aboriginal community that the pope approves of so much.
BadBob
Jul 17 2008, 3:33 pm
QUOTE
Pope Benedict XVI has toured Sydney's streets in his popemobile after leading a service for 150,000 World Youth Day pilgrims. Crowds were 50-deep in places along the route, packing footpaths and spilling into side streets. The flashes of thousands of cameras highlighted the Pope and his procession as it wound through the city during what would normally be peak-hour traffic. Held back by metal barricades and police, crowds cheered and waved flags as the Popemobile drove past, lit to clearly display the pontiff. He smiled and waved at the crowds, blessing the pilgrims as he went.
He warned that secularism, the belief that God should be left on the sidelines, sought to impose its own world view.
"If God is irrelevant to public life then society will be shaped in a godless image and debate and policy concerning the public good will be driven more by consequences than by principles grounded in truth," he said.
Pope Benedict XVI has launched a surprise attack on climate change prophets of doom, warning them that any solutions to global warming must be based on firm evidence and not on dubious ideology. ...
(emphasis added)
oh, dear. so many ways to ridicule, so little time... but I'll go with:
looks like the new CEO is surprisingly unaware of the company's core business model.
Hutcho
Jul 17 2008, 3:49 pm
Catholic schools are pretty much the only private schools in Australia, so a lot of people send their kids there because they feel the public system is lacking. Hell, I even went to a Catholic school. All we did in religion class was argue with the teacher about the complete bullshit they were feeding us. The next generation in Australia are not falling for this shit anymore.
Binaural
Jul 17 2008, 3:59 pm
If you amended that to the only _affordable_ private schools I'd agree wth you. There are plenty out there but there's a lot of demand for them and there are very limited places in academically selective public schools. My own observation is that my generation (20-30) is noticeably skeptical about organized religion, so much so that I find it pretty normal to argue with other non religious people about whether it's right to take on religious people over their beliefs.
I live in Sydney, not particularly religious and just want to say that the pilgrims are showing EVERYONE just how it should be.There's more people gathered together than Australia's ever seen and everyone's having the time of their lives. We could all learn from them. Spread the love, don't whinge!
Cyn Smith, sydney, Australia
QUOTE
I just spoke to my son who is in Sydney. He traveling with 67 kids from Philadelphia and having a blast. He couldn't say enough about the kindness of the Australian people, the cleanliness of the city or about the awesome experience he is having. Media should focus on the good in our youth.
That's just Australia.. it happens all the time when a load of people get together.. the good atmosphere has nothing to do with the religious brainwashing that is going on..
BadBob
Jul 20 2008, 1:27 pm
An estimated 400,000 people packed into Randwick Racecourse for the last major event of WYD - the largest single gathering in the country's history.
After the mass, the Pope announced Madrid will host the 2011 World Youth Day, an announcement warmly welcomed by Spanish pilgrims.
Dr. Love
Jul 20 2008, 6:32 pm
QUOTE
That's just Australia.. it happens all the time when a load of people get together.. the good atmosphere has nothing to do...
So, a good atmosphere when a load of people get together can only be achieved in kangaroo country. Of course /sarcasm on Cronulla riots, where around 10.000 idiots had some "fun" - that's just Australia too when a load of people get together /sarcasm off
In the link from BadBob there are exactly 5 opinions - 2 about the Australian WYD and 2 opinions praising the past WYD in Cologne. I don't see how you come to the conclusion that the Australians are sooo special or doing a much better job in hosting an event.
Hutcho
Jul 21 2008, 11:42 am
Thankfully, world "christian recruit children while they are young and impressionable week" is now over..
(note: ironic use of "thank god").
Thats nearly a friggin' week.
