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So World Youth Day has come and gone from our beloved city of Toronto. During that exciting week of never-ending fun, we got to witness the Pope performing Mass and extolling the virtues of Canada and Toronto. We had the privilege of welcoming several hormone-driven, Church-loving, and financially-willing young pilgrims who tried as hard as they could to make their trip a kind of spiritual tourist party. And perhaps the most important to us, the attention-starved Canucks that we be, we were able to enjoy press coverage from an international media as story-hungry journalists held Internet debates and telephone polls to assess how much people really knew (or cared) about the Pope’s health (believe me, I was in Paris at the time, the unfortunate victim of CNN International along with several French TV giants). Big Deal. Whoopee. Take out the telephone, Charlie, cause your cousins will want to hear about this one.
The sad part is that no non-Catholic person ever really cared about World Youth Day. The happy part is that there was nothing worth caring for that we non-caring people missed. The Pope is the leader of the Catholic Church, not the world, so why would any non-Catholic person give two hoots about where he came and went. And the poor journalists that have no war stories in the Middle East to cover, no hunger riots in Africa to shake their heads at, no celebrity divorces/marriages/courtships/babies/rehab scandals to rant and rave over were compelled to focus on the Pope’s health and how he walked and how he talked and the exact degree to which he slurred his speech. Not focusing on his message, oh no that whistles straight over most of their heads. Catholic people account for just 17.4% of the world’s population… so what about the rest of us? It boggles the mind how 82.6% of the World is somehow left out in World Youth Day. And we mustn’t forget about the Youths, the ones just dying to declare their undying love for the Catholic Church. Come on, do you really believe that they came all the way here to be all saintly and holy? Can you say par-tay?
It is highly probable that this whole extravaganza was nothing more than a publicity party for the Catholic Church, an institution well known for controlling world leaders in the past (and perhaps the present). World Youth Day was a waste of time, a waste of effort, a waste of money and worst of all, it was a waste of a terribly nice name. Think about it….it wasn’t even a Day, let alone a Day of World Youth. Compare the farce we all had the misfortune of sitting through to what World Youth Day could have been. A day (or a week) where the youths representing the entire world could gather and discuss issues affecting their nations. A day where youth could be in charge, where they could help shape the world that will soon become theirs to own and maintain. Instead, we are treated to a disappointing publicity stunt by a hurting institution as it tries in vain to regain its lost might. A great pity indeed.
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Rajat Suri
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Open up your mind, Rajat! Anthony J. Permal | May 6th, 2003
Interesting Rajat. Did you actually attend all 10 days? I did. And I saw both sides. The one you're talking about which is a publicity stunt, at least the Government of Canada made it one, to an extent. And the one I felt. Which gave me the answers to what I was looking for.
Rajat, in any war between two countries, no one truly knows who's wrong and who's right. That's cuz both sides kill humans on either side. So how can anyone be right? Right? I had Muslim and Hindu friends who were part of World Youth Day as well, and none of them felt any bitterness or jealousy or any of what you've mentioned. It all comes down to view point. Yes the Catholic Church has been handling the priest abuse thing in a very silly manner. But you actually think that every one of the 1.1 million people who came to Toronto came with the intention you're talking about? One man's party is another man's prayer Rajat. So you can either accept that, and open your mind up a bit, or leave it and stick with yourself and your ideals. Which brings me to the other thing. Why do you think only the Catholic Church has World Youth Day and not the Muslims, the Hindus, the Buddhists and also the Protestants. Because the Catholics are the only ones who actually allow the others to come enjoy even their most intimate celebrations. Especially Mass. So don't go about lambasting the Church as if you know every one of the 1.4 billions Catholics in the world. And every one of the million odd who came to Toronto.
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