Queen Elizabeth has expressed surprise over the choice of Randwick Racecourse as the venue for Pope Benedict's World Youth Day final mass, an AJC official says.The Australian reports the Queen has exressed amazement that World Youth Day would be held at the course, forcing trainers to move out while the pilgrims move in.
"How could they do it?" she asked Australian Jockey Club chairman Ross Smyth-Kirk when the two met during the five day Royal Ascot meeting in England last week. Mr Smyth-Kirk revealed the exchange to The Australian after he and his wife Denise were guests of the Queen for the Ascot Gold Cup.
Her astonishment will be welcomed by many in the horse racing community, who now only hope the Catholic celebration will not affect the Spring Racing Carnival in September.
But a spokesman for World Youth Day - which takes place from July 15 to 20 - said he suspected the Queen had not been informed that the Australian Jockey Club issued an invitation to hold the papal mass at Royal Randwick.
"Perhaps Her Majesty hasn't been fully informed of the circumstances in which this state government-owned property has been lent," he said.
"The AJC hosted a media conference announcing that the World Youth Day final Mass would be held at Royal Randwick, so it was done with their cooperation," he added.
Meanwhile, the Sydney Morning Herald reports that with three weeks until the start of what the State Government has said will be an event like the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation forum and the Olympics combined, many Sydney businesses have not prepared for expected disruptions associated with World Youth Day.Only a handful of businesses say they will close their doors, or send their staff home for the six day gathering of Catholic youth, according to research by Telstra.
While about half of businesses are considering teleworking, fewer than one fifth have made any contingency plans, and only 13 per cent have discussed the effects of the event on staff, according to the survey of 200 small and medium sized companies, most of which are spread between North Sydney and Randwick.
The executive director of the Sydney Chamber of Commerce, Patricia Forsythe, said she was also concerned that not all businesses had fully prepared for World Youth Day.
She has called on companies to consider giving staff with flexible hours or flexi days either the Thursday or Friday of World Youth Day off. These are the days of the papal welcome and the Stations of the Cross. "Working from home and telecommuting are among some of the solutions that businesses may consider."
According to another SMH report, NSW taxpayers could be hit for a bill four times that footed by Canadians and Germans when they hosted World Youth Day.
The Cologne archdiocese, which hosted WYD in 2005, said that out of a total cost of €100 million ($163.9 million), 15 per cent was contributed by various levels of government.
In Toronto in 2002, out of an operating budget of $C87 million ($89.7 million), plus a subsequent deficit of approximately $C33 million - which was picked up by Catholic dioceses across the country - government subsidies totalled about $C18 million in cash grants and in-kind support, said Father Thomas Rosica, the national director and CEO of World Youth Day 2002.
But for next month's event in Sydney, the State Government contribution alone stands at $108.5 million - made up of $86 million for government services such as police and transport, and $22.5 million for funding relating to Randwick Racecourse.
However, a World Youth Day spokesman said it was "misleading" to compare costs of events: "Host cities start from different levels of readiness and offer different levels of service."
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
No responsibility or liability shall attach itself to either myself or to the blogspot ‘Clerical Whispers’ for any or all of the articles placed here.
The placing of an article hereupon does not necessarily imply that I agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.
Sotto Voce