By Catherine Smibert

SYDNEY, Australia, OCT. 25, 2007 (Zenit.org).- When the almost 200 international World Youth Day delegates arrived in Sydney last week, many were happy to see the successful logistical coordination of the event some nine months out.

The attendees of this international youth day preparatory meeting included representatives from global episcopal conferences, diocesan youth coordinators and key individuals from the Pontifical Council for the Laity. The delegates received briefings on current WYD '08 planning and operations, and provided organizers with advice and feedback.

They also had the chance to partake in a sightseeing extravaganza as they were bused around the host city visiting the event venues, from Darling Harbor, where the Stations of the Cross will be held July 18, to Randwick Racecourse, the venue selected for the vigil and concluding Mass, which will be celebrated July 20 by Benedict XVI.

The head of the youth section of the Vatican dicastery for the laity, Monsignor Francis Kohn, described his time here as impressive and exciting. "This is a gorgeous city that offers many possibilities," he told me during his visit to Sydney, "and of course it's a great chance for the local population and the world to witness the Catholic Church, which is in a minority here, in all her impressive glory."

Monsignor Kohn was accompanying Cardinal-designate Stanislaw Rylko, president of the Pontifical Council for the Laity. Both Vatican officials remained unfazed by the commotion being made by some members of the Australian media regarding whether the racecourse was a real possibility as the final venue.

Monsignor Kohn insisted that in his decades of experience with international World Youth Days, he had never seen a case where the location for the final papal Mass was locked-in with the government so far ahead of the event itself.

During the meetings, Cardinal-designate Rylko expressed his sincere gratitude not just to the Church in Australia for its logistical feats, but also to the civil authorities in the country, saying "both the federal [officials] and those of New South Wales that have, right from the beginning, been very open and supportive of this initiative."

The prelate's comments came after an official New South Wales government reception with the state's new premier, Morris Iemma, at the Australian Museum.

During the trip, the dignitaries and international delegates partook in daily liturgies at St. Patrick's Cathedral -- the oldest church in Sydney. They were offered an insider's glance at the program of events for next year, and discovered all the current logistical planning details from transport, security and meal distribution, as well as prayer and evangelization possibilities.

Monsignor Kohn reflected the general enthrallment of the visitors with not only the beauty of the land but the openness of its people, particularly the ones they met within the ranks of the WYD office.

"Sydney is taking on a great task that many youth are enthused about across the world," he said. "Being here this time has underlined for us just how the freshness and the multiculturalism of the nation offer a true welcome and genuine interest and concern for the other, regardless of his/her background. … You can see how this is a country which is used to adapting itself to welcoming a massive influx of cultures over the years."

The priest noted how well this attitude coincided with the World Youth Day message composed by Benedict XVI: "The Pope speaks of this being a new Pentecost, a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit in this new land … and I'm confident that this place will be one of great spiritual exchange as youth bring their faith and cultures to this party that celebrates Jesus Christ our savior to enrich each other."

"It seems that Sydney," Monsignor Kohn said, "just by its very distance from the ancient world of Europe, will be able to rejuvenate the face of the Church for the people of Oceania and the world through this event."

He added, "It will provide a strength of mission … encouraging youth to hold onto the joy of the original faith of the early Church in an age where it's very difficult for young people to live Christianity."

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Reconciliation Revealed

One of the key elements of every World Youth Day gathering are the long lines of young people waiting to go to confession.

But why is this? In a day and age where there is a decline in Church attendance, even more are opting out of the sacrament of penance, perceiving it in the same vein they might a trip to the dentist.

Father Michael de Stoop of the Archdiocese of Sydney, which will host WYD '08, has unwrapped this mystery in his new book "The Gift of Confession: A Positive Approach to the Sacrament of Reconciliation."

Father de Stoop spelled out 25 benefits of the sacrament for all of us who may have a more standoffish approach. The book has been so popular that just weeks after it hit the bookshops and the Internet, it's already going into its second print.

"In earlier years much emphasis has been placed on the consequences of not going to confession, so it's understandable that there are a lot of anxieties in relation to reconciliation," the 35-year-old dean of St. Mary's Cathedral told me. "Fear can often blind us from the positive realities of the sacrament."

The book and its pocket-sized edition contain doctrinally accurate answers to popular questions about confession, which the author hopes will act as an important resource for laypeople and religious alike.

"I think it could have a good impact on families too," added Father de Stoop, who is the youth day vocation director. "And I hope parents won't have to do much more than just leave it on the table, as curiosity may get the better of their children … especially with its cover motif of gift-wrapping that my brother Richard so brilliantly designed."

In fact, the book's creation was a family affair with Richard de Stoop producing the cover page and sketches throughout. Richard's fiancée Tajana Marusic, an English teacher, checked the grammar for the text, only to find herself engrossed in the content, especially from the perspective of a youth worker and penitent.

"I have seen, both in my life and in the lives of those young people with whom I work, just how effective the Lord's mercy and grace in this sacrament can be," Marusic told me.

At a presentation of the book last week, the archbishop of Sydney, Cardinal George Pell, told me that he is "convinced that a significant element behind the anger and hostility in many young people results from displaced guilt, and all this talk about the primacy of conscience doesn't help either."

"People feel guilt," he continued, "although they may not call it guilt, which they try to bury deep inside them, only for it to emerge in all sorts of unexpected directions."

The cardinal, who wrote the foreword for this new book, added that "in an age where there is the burgeoning business of psychology, counseling, etc … it's sad that there's been a fall away from the practice of confessing to a priest … and Father Michael is helping renew this -- one of the most important gifts the Church offers."

The cardinal said that when young people have the chance to receive the sacrament of reconciliation, they normally go. "We've seen ourselves at the cathedral school and in our World Youth Day groups that nearly all of them do … and the non-Catholics want to come too. Though they can't receive absolution, they can come for a chat and to bare their soul."

Cardinal Pell revealed that the youth will have plenty of chances to confess when they come on pilgrimage to Sydney in 2008 where "a whole bevy of priests will strategically be placed around the city to administer this sacrament, and pilgrims can be certain of it being made available at each catechesis location."

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Catherine Smibert is a freelance writer in Sydney, Australia. She can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

ZE07102502 - 2007-10-25