Wednesday, July 23, 2008

It's Catholicism, but not as we know it (Contribution)

"OUR FATHER, OUR FATHER," roar a group of young American pilgrims, brandishing drums, flags and extremely loud voices, as they march through the streets of Sydney leaving a gaping crowd behind them. "WHO ART IN HEAVEN, WHO ART IN HEAVEN. HALLOWED BE THY NAME."

Behind them is another set of fervent youths, performing a rap to rival P Diddy. But instead of girls and fast cars, this rap has a different theme. "Who's the man?" whoops the leader. "JESUS is the man," comes the reply.

Welcome to World Youth Day. It's Catholicism, but not as we know it, with heavy metal hymns, rapping priests, Jesus chants, graffiti and a few romances as 250,000 young pilgrims invade the city for six days of singing, dancing and, of course, praying with Pope Benedict XVI.

For the mainly secular citizens of Sydney, watching thousands of ardent young people wearing their religiosity on their sleeve and crying at the sight of the pope has been a completely new experience. But the event, which had many Sydneyites abandoning their homes quicker than Gotham City in fear of chaos, has passed without a hitch, with the young pilgrims causing little trouble.

"We have been having an absolutely fantastic experience," said Gerard Gallagher, World Youth Day Co-ordinator with Catholic Youth Care (CYC) in Dublin. CYC has brought over 200 Irish pilgrims and Gallagher has had a busy week.

"We've had a really warm reception from people in Sydney and Melbourne," he said. "The hardest thing we've had to deal with is the cold: a lot of people have been struck down with colds and flu. We're losing our voices from all the singing, and sleeping on the floor in the local school has played a part as well. Camping out [for the evening vigil with the pope on Saturday night] will be the biggest challenge."

No fewer than 143 pilgrims from various countries were hospitalised during the week with outbreaks of influenza and gastroenteritis in various camps. And around 326 pilgrims have been admitted to hospital since 9 July with injuries including a broken nose and several broken legs and ankles. But according to Greg Rochford of the New South Wales Ambulance Service, alcohol has not been a major factor in the injuries. "It is much less than one would expect from such a large gathering," he said.

Gallagher agreed that drink has not been a problem for Irish pilgrims. "They're all over 18 and we recommend that if they do drink, they do it in moderation," he said. "But really, the programme is so intense that everyone is tired out by the evening."

This is certainly true of Friday morning in St Patrick's Irish parish at Bondi Beach – at just 8.30am the church is half-full of pilgrims getting early morning mass and confession. Some arrive late, still yawning, with tousled hair and crumpled hoodies. But as the singing gets under way, they enter into it with energy, waving their arms to the music and clapping to the beat.

As they queue for a priest, two Dublin men, around 20 years old, strike up a conversation.

"It's hard, doing confession," says one. "Yeah," agrees the other. "But it's not the priest you're talking to, it's God really." "Yeah, suppose," says the first. "I'm always forgetting all the good things I said I'd do though." "That's the thing though," says his companion. "Jesus will always forgive you."

"This has just been such an amazing opportunity to express ourselves and learn more about our faith," journalism graduate Aoife Connors, 21, from Stradbally, Co Waterford, said. "Here there's no peer pressure to act differently to the way you are. Everyone is here for the same reasons and when you meet people from all around the world who feel the same way as you, it makes you a lot stronger. It's very different here to at home, where no-one really talks about their faith. It'll be hard to relive what we have here back in Ireland, but that will be the challenge."

For 20-year-old UCD student Aisling O'Rourke from Killiney, Co Dublin, World Youth Day has presented an even bigger challenge, as she prepared to read at last night's papal mass to an audience of over half a million people.

"I'm pretty terrified," she confessed. "I've done a lot of debate and public speaking but this is so much bigger than that. I hope I'll be OK. It's a real honour to be able to represent the majority of people back home and to read in front of the pope. I'm excited."

According to O'Rourke, while World Youth Day has given her the chance to strengthen her faith, it has also given her a new network of friends.

"We've just had so much fun," she said. "You make so many friends here because no-one feels they have to be cool. Actually, a lot of people get into relationships as a result, because there's such a great atmosphere and no-one has their barriers up."

Leo Ryan, 26, from Malahide celebrated his first wedding anniversary with his wife Joy during the celebrations this year, while one of the CYC organisers met her husband at a previous World Youth Day.

"It was really special to celebrate it here, with all the positivity and the great atmosphere," Ryan said. "This was our first time coming to World Youth Day and we didn't know what to expect, but it's just been unreal."

For those looking for a different kind of romantic encounter, many of Sydney's brothels, which are legal in New South Wales, have brought in extra prostitutes for this weekend, with some even offering discounts to pilgrims.

"We're expecting a lot of tourists – pilgrims – and we will still get the curious this weekend," said a spokeswoman for the Bondi Junction Bordello. "Obviously, it's unlikely we will get priests though. But there'll be lots of tourists in town and there'll be lots of people in town."

Meanwhile, Sydney police were outraged after religious-themed graffiti was spray-painted on the Hyde Park War Memorial in the city. 'Ratzinger Rules' and other slogans were painted on the memorial, while elsewhere in the city, messages such as 'Jesus Eternity' and 'Jesus Rules' appeared on footpaths and walls. "It shows a total lack of respect," said Superintendent Ken Finch.

Such glitches aside, World Youth Day has been considered a success by organisers and pilgrims alike. "It's definitely given me the strength to know I have the support of people like me all over the world," said O'Rourke. "It's good to know you can go home and not have to go with the consensus all the time."

Ryan agreed. "If I could just bottle up a little of this atmosphere and bring it back to Ireland I would. Our country could do with some of this."
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