He may draw adoring crowds, but Pope Benedict says he’s no rock star. Benedict was commenting Monday on how some people view World Youth Day celebrations.
His predecessor, Pope John Paul II, often described as having a rock star-like following among Catholic youth, began World Youth Day to inspire the faithful.
Benedict says popular analysis tends to consider the youth day celebrations as a church version of modern youth culture.
He says such a view sees the gathering as a kind of "rock festival with the Pope as star."
But he says the ability of young Catholics to create a sense of community during the meetings shows they are more than just parties.
"In this way also the Pope is not the star around which everything revolves," he said. "He is totally, and only, the vicar" or God’s assistant in bringing out the "fruit of the Holy Spirit."
Benedict attended the youth event in Cologne, Germany, in 2005, and the one this past summer in Sydney, Australia.
The 81-year-old pontiff has also said that he plans to attend the next one, scheduled for 2011 in Madrid.
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(Source: CH)