After a week-long celebration throughout Sydney, local World Youth Day organisers say they are thrilled with a final mass attendance of more 400,000 people at Randwick Racecourse today.
Chief operating officer Danny Casey said World Youth Day in Sydney has been a success for the host city and the Catholic Church in Australia.
“It was an extraordinary sight to see more than 400,000 people gather for mass on a grey Sunday,” said Mr. Casey.
“This is certainly the largest Catholic Mass ever celebrated in our country.”
After over 200,000 pilgrims slept overnight at the venue following the WYD08 Evening Vigil, hundreds of thousands arrived this morning for the final official activity on the WYD08 program.
Referring to Australia as the “Great South Land of the Holy Spirit”, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI enthusiastically waved and greeted pilgrims as he made his way through the giant crowd before the commencement of the Mass.
As well as celebrating with those in attendance, His Holiness also thanked Sydney for hosting the week-long festivities before announcing Madrid as the next host city for World Youth Day in 2011.
“It has been an unforgettable week,” said Father Mark Podesta, WYD08 spokesperson who also concelebrated the WYD08 Final Mass with His Holiness.
“Both the formal celebrations and the presence of the Holy Father have allowed the joy of so many young Catholics to infiltrate our international city.”
The final farewell of the Holy Father will be at Sydney airport tomorrow when he boards his Qantas flight to Rome at 10am.
