In July 2008 Sydney will be hosting the World Youth Day.

For those unaware this will be the gathering of some 200000 to 500000 people from Australia and across the world to celebrate their Catholic christian faith, which includes a visit from the Pope.

This will be the largest gathering of christians this country will see in our lifetime and perhaps the largest gathering of people this country will ever see.

If you’re not aware of it now you will be come 2008 when the city comes to a standstill during the stations of the cross. Never minding the hundreds of thousands of pilgrims from overseas crowding your trains and roads.

And you thought the olympics was big!

I want to gain feeback as to the Sydney Anglican position to such an event. Are you indifferent? Are you excited? Are you going to check it out? Are you going to share with other christians? Are you wanting to participate? or perhaps you may be very against ‘popish’ practices disrupting your working week?

I’m looking for honest feedback

For more information check out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7nF0_6VgTQ

www.wyd2008.org

Cheers

God Bless

Steve

Have had a brief look at the website.

Just like the olympic committee arranged for “the flame” to be carried around the whole country, there is a plan to carry a large cross around the country.

Looking at the pictures of people receiving the cross in Brisbane from Catholic Christians in Germany I can see how it can be an extremely uplifting and amazing experience. There will be a big swell of excitement and unity of Catholic Christians as the cross passes through many towns between now and July 2008.

I don’t see it as being much different from when we have had Christian pilgrimages to Uluru, or prayer vigils at parliament house, or walks across the harbour bridge releasing green/gold peace balloons.

Whenever large numbers of Christians gather together as one it leaves you with a real buzz (attend any large Christian convention and you will experience this - eg KYC, Mens/Women’s/Easter Convention). It will be an amazing journey to watch.

My radar kicks in when I read that as they carry a cross around the country there is also a requirement to carry an image of Mary the Mother of Jesus. This makes me cringe. At the moment I am trying to look past this so I can accept as fellow believers any Catholic friend who genuinely knows and understands that salvation is only through belief in the death and resurrection of Jesus.

I don’t live in Sydney so I personally won’t be inconvenienced by the crowds that will come. Must now go find out how long the celebrations will last (one week, two weeks, more?).

I think Peter Jensen talks a bit about this in his talk Why I am a Protestant Christian and mentions what he sees as the possibilities and limits for unity with Roman Catholics.

For those unaware this will be the gathering of some 200000 to 500000 people from Australia and across the world to celebrate their Catholic christian faith, which includes a visit from the Pope.

Sounds like 200000-500000 people and one pope to reach for Jesus then!

Dannii Willis - 30 June 2007 11:36 PM

For those unaware this will be the gathering of some 200000 to 500000 people from Australia and across the world to celebrate their Catholic christian faith, which includes a visit from the Pope.

Sounds like 200000-500000 people and one pope to reach for Jesus then!

Sorry, what do you mean?

Catholics need to hear and respond to the gospel of grace just as much as everyone else.

From the WYD site:

The Icon of our Lady

On Palm Sunday in 2003, the Pope introduced a new element for WYD: from then on, the WYD Cross would be accompanied on its pilgrimage by the Icon of Our Lady , Salus Populi Romani.

“Today I also entrust to the delegation from Germany the Icon of Mary. From now on it will accompany the World Youth Days, together with the Cross. Behold, your Mother! It will be a sign of Mary’s motherly presence close to young people who are called, like the Apostle John, to welcome her into their lives.” (Angelus, 18th World Youth Day, 13 April 2003).

This icon , a copy of a venerated icon in Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, was present at the Vigil and Papal Mass of WYD 2000 in Tor Vergata in Rome.

This seems to me a striking visual statement that within Roman Catholicism, the cross of Christ is not a sufficient basis for our relationship with God.

I don’t think we ought to endorse such a statement in any way. But we can constructively ask how WYD will provide an opportunity for us to talk about salvation by grace, through faith alone and Christ alone. We might also ask more specifically how we can use WYD as a basis for talking to our Roman Catholic friends about the truth of the gospel.

In a stunning departure from normal procedure, I’m going to discipline myself in the context of this discussion to observe normal rules of courtesy. [Michael Jensen, read and wonder! ;-)]. I have some dear Roman Catholic friends and I really hope that WYD will be the beginning of some conversations (with them and others) about the uniqueness of Christ and the sufficiency of his salvation—rather than the end.

The danger of a conciliatory approach like this is that it lends milage and comfort to those who want to see something like the role of Mary in salvation as a peripheral issue on which Christians can differ, which is absolutely not the case. The power of a conciliatory approach, although it is not the only gospel-minded approach, is that it keeps discussion going with our Roman Catholic friends.

Remember that the current Pope, for his part, views any expression of biblical faith as deficient and regards Protestant Christians as people who need to be evangelized accordingly. Otherwise he would not have added the icon of Mary to this procession.

Gordon,

I thank you for staying on topic.

Can I ask, would you participate in the WYD08? Do you only attend christian events that you agree with the entire teaching?

There are hundreds of articles that look inviting at Banner of Truth, but this one entitled My Contact with the New Pope is very interesting. It is somewhat unusual to find such an article at such a site.

I agree with what Gordon says about the Roman Catholic Church, but also agree with Charles Hodge that it is a Christian Church, seriously astray, but nonetheless a Christian Church. This is only if the Church subscribes to the ecumenical creeds and teaches the trinitarian faith, of course.

Some Roman Catholics seem to have abandoned their church’s teaching and have nothing more than bells and smells left. One such person led a group for people suffering mental illness and in 5 years, Jesus never got a mention! She did light a few candles, but!

When the previous pope came to Australia to beatify Mary Mackillop, I was struck by how prominent the extra-biblical stuff was in the publicly broadcast services at Randwick Racecourse. However much I wanted to feel like we were all on the same page, I couldn’t.

Stephen Varney - 01 July 2007 11:15 AM

Gordon,

I thank you for staying on topic.

Can I ask, would you participate in the WYD08?

Define participate.

Do you only attend christian events that you agree with the entire teaching?

I never attend Christian events where I agree with the entire teaching.

Gordon, I assume you mean you would participate in the way you participated in the Hillsong Conference, rather than an as an invited guest in an official capacity [if such were possible]?

G’day Steve,
The WYD 2008 will indeed be a magnificent occasion and spectacle for Christians to show the strength and fervour of their faith.  But I shall not be there. Just think what my fellow church goers would say if I was seen there.

David McKay - 02 July 2007 12:14 AM

Gordon, I assume you mean you would participate in the way you participated in the Hillsong Conference, rather than an as an invited guest in an official capacity [if such were possible]?

Yes, that’s right.

I understand the Sydney Philarmonia Choir is going to be singing, so that would be one way to get up close to the action without it being automatically assumed that you were endorsing what was happening. You have to pass an audition, but. And presumably a police check.

Over the years I’ve had the pleasure of walking up to people in Hyde Park and asking what they think about Jesus. Many proclaim they are Catholics. But when I ask them why did Jesus die, why did Jesus rise from the dead, they look confused as if they have never really considered these questions, or as if they were trying to dredge up some long-forgotten Sunday School lesson.

Many Catholics have no idea about the gospel facts - if they trust Jesus then they don’t know for what they trust him, nor why. (I wonder if they have similar issues with Mary - but I’ve never asked.)

For me, WYD is a wonderful opportunity to ask these sorts of questions of people. Perhaps, if God is kind, many people will come to Australia and discover that they can be assured of eternal life.

I doubt they will hear this from the platform. But maybe they will if they visit St Mary’s Cathedral, and take a lunch break in Hyde Park!

On last night’s 7pm ABC TV news, my wife and I both thought that the newsreader said that the 4 metre cross was being accompanied around Australia by ‘Jesus and Mary’. Did we hear right ?

I agree with what Gordon says about the Roman Catholic Church, but also agree with Charles Hodge that it is a Christian Church, seriously astray, but nonetheless a Christian Church.

It is only a ‘Christian’ church if you define ‘Christian’ in non-theological terms.