Pell Preparing Youth For Il Papa (Australia)

Cardinal George Pell is an accomplished salesman as well as a prince of the Catholic Church.

As a cardinal he may be a player in world affairs and as Archbishop of Sydney he has a large and diverse archdiocese to tend, but right now his role as host of World Youth Day eclipses all this.

A lot rides on this religious spectacular succeeding so although the cardinal hardly needed reminding that July 2008 will be here in the blink of an eye, he dutifully pushed the start button on a countdown clock set up outside Sydney's St Mary's Cathedral to mark 500 days to go.

He was, as ever, on message.

"The young people who come to World Youth Day will overwhelmingly be pilgrims rather than simply tourists, although I know they will be attracted by the beauty of Sydney and the interest and variety of Australia," he said.

"But many will have decided to come because they have heard testimonies of others."

The late Pope John Paul II transformed World Youth Day from an ordinary event on the Catholic calendar into a major event celebrated every three years with a week-long festival in the 1980s.

He died before the most recent one, staged in Cologne in 2005, but that was where his successor, Benedict XVI first revealed a rapport with crowds none of the Vatican-watchers had suspected and particularly an affinity with young people.

More than one million 18-35 year olds attended the final papal mass in Germany, and although the predicted numbers for Australia are more modest they will still require significant logistical support.

The final papal mass, to be held at Randwick Racecourse on July 20, is expected to draw about 500,000 people when it tops off a week of religious pilgrimage which will also include a reenactment of the Stations of the Cross.

Up to 150,000 international visitors are expected, with a similar number of local people attending.

State and federal governments have committed support conservatively valued at $40 million and Tourism NSW estimates it will generate $150 million for the state.

To maximise opportunities for young pilgrims to extend their visits and part with more tourism dollars, it was announced today that visa fees would be waived for those registered with the World Youth Day organisation and they will be granted three-month visas.

This was made by the newest member of the World Youth Day organising committee, Deputy Prime Minister Mark Vaile, replacing Malcolm Turnbull who is as Cardinal Pell quipped, "now sorting out the water problems of the country".

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