World Youth Day was begun by Blessed John Paul II and has been a great success. This week hundreds of thousands of youth will converge in Brazil for World Youth Day 2013. Pope Francis will be presiding over it - his first one.
This event is awesome and I highly recommend it. However, like with any large event, things can go wrong. There are sometimes people who attend for the wrong reasons. Instead of going to grow in faith, some use the opportunity to do things they normally would not do at home. This was documented in Madrid where atheists and secularists began to photograph World Youth Day pilgrims doing things that are not becoming of Catholics.
It is important that priests and youth group leaders explain to pilgrims that their actions will be heavily monitored by locals and the media. We are all sinners and I don't expect all pilgrims to be St. Dominic Savio or St. Maria Goretti, however, they are called to holiness and the avoidance of scandal. I remember the last World Youth Day I attended, we were warned of the media and others who would be following us as if we were celebrities. The youth must be careful not to cause scandal amongst one another and others.
World Youth Day must not become a "Woodstock" for young Catholics to get away from their homes and act wild. Let us pray for those participating in World Youth Day.
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