| XXVI World Youth Day | |
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"Rooted and built up in Jesus Christ, firm in the Faith" (cf. Colossians 2:7) |
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| Location | Madrid, Spain |
| Date | 16–21 August 2011 |
World Youth Day 2011 was the 2011 occurrence of World Youth Day, a Catholic event held from August 16-21, 2011 in Madrid, Spain focused on youth.[1] Media estimated the event's attendance as over a million[2] or 1.5 million.[3]
Pope Benedict XVI revealed the location of the event at the final Mass in Australia at Sydney's Royal Randwick Racecourse during World Youth Day 2008.[4]
It was the second time that Spain hosted the event. World Youth Day 1989 was held from August 15–20 1989 at Santiago de Compostela.
Spanish bishops, including Madrid's Metropolitan Archbishop, Cardinal Antonio Maria Rouco Varela, and the coordinator of the World Youth Day 2011, Madrid Auxiliary Bishop César Franco Martínez, urged Pope Benedict XVI to name patrons for the event. Saint Rafael Arnáiz Barón, Saint Francis Xavier, Saint Isidore the Laborer, Saint Maria Torribia, Saint Teresa of Avila, Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Saint John of Avila, Saint Rose of Lima, Saint John of the Cross, and Blessed Pope John Paul II were all designated as co-patrons of World Youth Day 2011.[5] [6]
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The event is self-financed by contributions from pilgrims (70%) along with companies and individuals (30%).[7] The state's estimated cost for security and infrastructure is €50 million,[8] while officials estimate that the event will generate as much as €150 million in tourist revenue.[9]
The theme for 2011′s World Youth Day is “Rooted and Built Up in Jesus Christ, Firm in the Faith” (cf Col 2:7).
The official song for World Youth Day 2011 in Madrid was "Firmes en la fe" ("Firm in the faith") The song, was composed by Father Enrique Castro, with lyrics by Auxiliary Bishop Cesar Franco of Madrid.The seven verses of the hymn refer to Christ’s closeness to young people through his humanity. It was composed based on the WYD 2011 theme, “Planted and built up in Jesus Christ, firm in the faith,” taken from St. Paul’s letter to the Colossians.
The Cuatro Vientos Airport provided the location for vigil and final mass.
The number of people attending exceeded expectations, which means more land had to be found round the edges to accommodate the people. An estimated 1,000,000 were in the aerodrome at seven o'clock in the evening, which made this the largest Catholic event ever staged in Spain. Many pilgrims walked from the centre of Madrid (12.6 km), although extra public transport was put on.
The Pope arrived and a cross was carried in procession to the altar. Several young people were picked to ask questions to the Pope, but a sudden thunderstorm and high winds, meant that the Pope's address had to be communicated to the crowd in written form.
The Pope resumed the adoration of the eucharist, after the rain, although with a shortened programme. A mass with distribution of the eucharist to many in the crowd had to be reduced in dimension.
Many stayed during the night, and the Sunday morning mass took on a larger dimension to make up for the day before.
On August 17 a demonstration against public funding of the World Youth Day and for a Spanish secular state took place in Madrid. The protesters were confronted by riot police with truncheons. Eight people were arrested and eleven were injured.[11]
Protests centred on the Pope and the number of protestors never reached beyond a few thousand. No WYD events were interrupted by their demonstrations. There were a few scuffles between pilgrims and the protestors. [12]
On August 21 at the closing mass, the Pope revealed that the next event will be held in Rio De Janeiro. The location was leaked a few months before this however. The event will be held in 2013, in place of 3 years (2014), due to Brazil's hosting the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
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