Thousands Join World Youth Day Pilgrimage Walk
Saturday July 19, 2008
World Youth Day's Pilgrimage Walk, part of World Youth Day celebrations since 1986 — the year World Youth Day was begun — took place in Sydney on July 19, 2008, local time.
The Pilgrimage Walk was said to recall how pilgrims over the centuries had traveled on foot to sites significant to their faith. It also reflected the "fact that we are pilgrims in our life on earth, we are on our way to heaven," a World Youth Day spokesman said.
About 180,000 people took part in the Pilgrimage Walk from two starting points: a 9-kilometre walk from North Sydney railway station and a shorter 3.5-kilometre walk from Central Station. Both walks led to the area known as the Southern Cross precinct where the Papal Mass was held on Sunday, July 20, local time, at Randwick racecourse.
Staggered groups started the Pilgrimage Walk at 5.30am with the last group expected to have started their walk at 2pm. Pope Benedict XVI arrived at the Southern Cross precinct in the early evening for the vigil between 7pm and 9pm
Large numbers of pilglrims remained overnight at the Southern Cross precinct to await the start of the Papal Mass the following day.
A number of roads and feeder roads on the pilgrimage route, including Sydney Harbour Bridge, were closed to vehicular traffic.
The Pilgrimage Walk was said to recall how pilgrims over the centuries had traveled on foot to sites significant to their faith. It also reflected the "fact that we are pilgrims in our life on earth, we are on our way to heaven," a World Youth Day spokesman said.
About 180,000 people took part in the Pilgrimage Walk from two starting points: a 9-kilometre walk from North Sydney railway station and a shorter 3.5-kilometre walk from Central Station. Both walks led to the area known as the Southern Cross precinct where the Papal Mass was held on Sunday, July 20, local time, at Randwick racecourse.
Staggered groups started the Pilgrimage Walk at 5.30am with the last group expected to have started their walk at 2pm. Pope Benedict XVI arrived at the Southern Cross precinct in the early evening for the vigil between 7pm and 9pm
Large numbers of pilglrims remained overnight at the Southern Cross precinct to await the start of the Papal Mass the following day.
A number of roads and feeder roads on the pilgrimage route, including Sydney Harbour Bridge, were closed to vehicular traffic.
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