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READ THE MOVING BLOGS BY BRITISH PILGRIMS AT WORLD YOUTH DAY

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July 25, 2008 £1 (Republic of Ireland €1.50)

An aerial view shows the crowd gathered for the closing Mass of World Youth Day at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney, Australia, July 20. Police estimated that 350,000 people attended the Mass

(CNS photo/Reuters)

Pope proclaims new age of love in Sydney

BYANNAARCO

POPEBENEDICTproclaimed a “new age” of love at the final Mass of World Youth Day in Sydney, Australia, on Sunday. Speaking at the close of the World Youth Day events the Pope called on young pilgrims to be “the prophets of this new age, the messengers of his love, drawing people to the Father and building a future of hope for all humanity”. Pope Benedict, who was addressing people from 170 countries, said the world and the Church needed renewal to

counter a growing “spiritual desert” and called upon young people to open their hearts to the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The grace of the Spirit cannot be merited or achieved, he said, but was something that had to be received as a pure gift and allowed to work from within. He said: “God’s love can only unleash its power when it is allowed to change us from within. We have to let it break through the hard crust of our indifference, our weariness, our blind conformity to the spirit of this age. Only then can we let it ignite our imagination and

shape our deepest desires.” During the homily he challenged young people, asking them what legacy they were leaving to the next generation and what difference they would make. He said: “Empowered by the Spirit and drawing upon faith’s rich vision, a new generation of Christians is being called to build a world in which God’s gift of life is welcomed, respected and cherished – not rejected, feared as a threat and destroyed. A new age in

which love is not greedy or self-seeking but purely faithful and genuinely free, open to others, respectful of their dignity, seeking their good, radiating joy and beauty. A new age in which hope liberates us from the shallowness, apathy and self-absorption which deaden our souls and poison our relationship.” In the homily, the last of three major papal addresses which marked the celebrations, Pope Benedict built upon themes he had developed in the earlier speeches.

The Pope’s welcoming address at Barangaroo on July 17 began with environmental issues through the prism of God’s creation and man’s role in it, before addressing the scars that a culture of consumerism had made in the social environment. In the second address, during the Saturday vigil with a crowd of over 200,000 at Randwick Racecourse, the Pope discussed ways in which young people could become witnesses of Christ’s love. At the end of World Youth Day Kurt Barragan, a young English seminarian

travelling with a group from Southwark diocese, said: “It’s time to head home tomorrow and then the real legacy of WYD08 begins. We have been commissioned as Christ’s witnesses in the power of the Holy Spirit. It’s an exciting mission; please pray that we may all be faithful to it.”

WYD reports: Page 4-6 Sarah Johnson: Page 10 Pilgrimsʼ blogs: Page 11 Angelus address: Page 14 Stuart Reid: Page 16

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Priests reject plan for Britain’s first church dedicated to old Mass

BYMARKGREAVES

PLANSFORBritain’s first ever church dedicated to celebrations of the traditional Latin Mass were abandoned this week after a rebellion from priests. Archbishop Patrick Kelly of Liverpool had proposed to attach an ailing city centre church to the cathedral parish and reserve it for celebrations of Mass in the extraordinary form. But the Council of Priests

voted against the plan by 18 votes to two. In a letter that was read out to parishioners on Sunday Archbishop Kelly said he had “decided not to go ahead with the change”. The move will deeply disappoint traditionalists because the proposed church was considered “beautiful and appropriate” for Mass in the extraordinary form. The Church of St Vincent de Paul, St James Street, Toxteth, was designed by E W Pugin in 1856 and has not yet been re-ordered.

John Medlin, general manager of the Latin Mass Society, said the move was “very regrettable”. He said: “Those who are attached to the extraordinary form will feel excluded and discriminated against by this decision.” Mr Medlin added that the diocese’s provision of extraordinary form Masses was “extremely inadequate”. At present there are two traditional Latin Masses each week. Archbishop Kelly said in a

statement: “First of all, I regret that you first heard about a proposal to make changes for your parish in the press. “[Retired Liverpool auxiliary] Bishop Malone told me about his visit to you. Some of you have written to me. On Tuesday, July 15, the proposal was presented, as Canon Law requires, to the Council of Priests. I have decided not to go ahead with the change that I proposed. Thank you for your courtesy and understanding. Please pray for me.”

Heavy metal friar praises Metallica

Star leaves football fame for priesthood

BYDAVIDVBARRETT

ACAPUCHINfriar who rose to fame in Italy as a singer in a heavy metal band has said he first “fell in love” with the music when he attended a concert by the band Metallica. Brother Cesare Bonizzi, known to Italian fans as Fratello Metallo (“Brother Metal”), said he was stunned by the energy of the music 15 years ago. With a long white beard, brown robe and san

dals, Brother Cesare looks the epitome of the traditional religious –and is the last person one would expect as a singer in a heavy metal band. But the 62-year-old friar played alongside metal legends such as Iron Maiden and Slayer at a festival in Bologna earlier this month, and his band have just released their second album, entitled Misteri(“Mysteries”). Their songs include veneration of the Virgin Mary and warnings about drinking alcohol to excess. Brother Cesare said he did not play to draw people closer to Christ but to “convert people to living life to the full”.

BYCHRISTIANDELISLE

ANAMERICANMajor League football player is to take early retirement this year in order to pursue a vocation to the priesthood. Chase Hilgenbrinck, 26, is a defender for the New England Revolution. He has played professional football for the past four

years and has played for teams in both Chile and the United States. He will be attending a seminary in Maryland. “It was something very personal to me. I didn’t discuss it with anybody for a long time,” Mr Hilgenbrinck said. “I just discerned it through personal prayer for a long time, trying to come to a conclusion if this was really what the Lord was calling me to or not.” His team fully support his decision.

INSIDE: HUNDREDS SIGN MOTU PROPRIO PETITION PAGE 3

CHINA:Enkindle theTorchofFaith

Behindtheglitz andglamourof theBeijing Olympicslies therealityof persecutionin China–Bishops imprisoned, Christians persecutedand freedomdenied. Yet, thereare 100,000 convertsto Catholicism everyyear.

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