World Youth Day has been an opportunity to form new friendships as Anglican churches offered hospitality to pilgrims in Sydney for the event.

Its estimated WYD has brought more than 100 thousand Roman Catholics from all around the world, and they are staying in schools, hostels and youth camps, including many Anglican facilities.

A more personal story comes from St Michael’s, Vaucluse, where families have opened their homes to pilgrims.

One opportunity came through a contact rector, the Rev Michael Palmer had from his time as a CMS missionary in Tanzania.

Raymond and Gudrun Balme (Gudrun is pictured), from Münster in Germany had worked in Tanzania and knew of the Palmers, and so contacted them when they were coming to Australia with a church youth group.

Tim and Meg Matthews were one couple from Vaucluse who helped host the pilgrims and Meg told sydneyanglicans.net, “We were looking for an opportunity… because we felt it was important there is contact and dialogue between denominations”.

Gudrun Balme says she was overwhelmed by the hospitality.

“They prepared us such a warm welcome - I loved (St Michael’s) very much and I felt immediately at home. There are some things I liked more than at our church at home.”

Sydney Anglicans meet the Pope

Nathanael Smith, 18. met the Pope yesterday morning as a representative of young people in the Sydney Anglican community at a meeting called by the Pope to meet and pray with other Christian leaders and youth.

Nathanael was nominated by Anglican Youthworks CEO the Rev Zac Veron, after Mr Veron was invited to choose a youth representative to attend.

“I chose Nathanael because he called me concerned that many Anglican youth were going to attend Youth Day events, who were ignorant of Roman Catholic beliefs and doctrine,” he says.

“I thought, ‘if I’m going to get somebody to represent our youth, I’d rather someone who has a good grasp of Protestant and Reformed beliefs and history’.”

While meeting the Pope was a great honour, Nat says the experience has left him with a sense of sadness.

“He came across nicely and I was honoured that I could represent Sydney as a youth, but I was just disheartened by the whole experience, and by how revered he was by everyone, because he’s just a man.”

“I didn’t call him ‘Your Holiness’,” Nat admits. “I can’t do that because I just don’t believe it.”

As Nat wished the Pope an enjoyable stay in Sydney and a safe journey home, he was given a papal coin, a card with the Pope’s autograph and some rosary beads.

“It was a nice gesture, even though I don’t agree with it,” he says.

Bishop Robert Forsyth met the Pope and gave a short speech of welcome at the meeting as a representative of the Sydney Diocese.