Prague, Aug 10 (CTK) – The World Youth Day meeting of Catholics and Christians of other professions, organised by the Catholic Church, might take place in the Czech Republic in 2022, according to the Czech Bishops Conference’s (CBK) request for hosting the event that the government will debate soon.
The Pope always attends the meeting.
More than two million people, including 6000 Czechs, took part in the latest World Youth Day held in Cracow, Poland, two years ago.
The report submitted to the government says the economic aspect of the event must be taken into consideration.
More than 300,000 young people from all over the world are expected to participate in the World Youth Day during the week, while the weekend attendance is put at over one million.
The Vatican offices are yet to discuss the CBK’s candidacy.
Support of the government, the Prague City Hall, the regions and municipalities would be an important part of the application.
The World Youth Day, established in 1984, is held every third year. It was initiated by Pope John Paul II who donated a simple wooden cross to young people to carry it as a symbol of love for Jesus Christ. Since then, the cross has accompanied all such meetings. A year before the event, the cross is touring the parishes of the host country and young people meet at it for a prayer.
The participant in the World Youth Day spend the first five days in the host country in various dioceses where they are accommodated in families and local schools to get closely acquainted with the life in the respective country and make personal contacts.
Then they spend seven days in the town where the main event is held. It opens with a mass celebrated by the local archbishop. In the following three days, the participants meet in their language groups. Concerts, theatre performances, lectures, sport events and film screenings are staged in the afternoon.
The welcome of the Pope is the highlight of the fourth day in the evening. The evening meetings with the Pope follow during the last two days. Participants spend night in the open and attend the final mass.
Some 2.5 million people attended the final meeting on Sunday night during the previous World Youth Day in Cracow, while more then 300,000 took part in the event during the week.
The meeting was primarily funded from participation fees (32.6 million euros) that covered 70 percent of the costs, while the rest was financed from a fund-raising campaign among believers (10 percent), sponsors (10 percent) and ministries (10 percent). The total costs amounted to 46 million euros.
However, the CBK points out that so high contributions from believers cannot be expected in the Czech Republic.
According to the latest census from 2011, there are only 1.46 million believers in the Czech Republic with a population of 10.5-million, most of whom are Roman Catholics.
