G'Day Pilgrims! Pope Heads Down Under

SYDNEY, Australia, July 15, 2008 — -- On the first day of the Catholic "faith fest" known as World Youth Day, the city of Sydney swarmed with flag-carrying youths from around the world.

They descended today on the city center, bridges and harbor area in a burst of color and noise as they walked together in close packs, cheering and singing in different languages. Most wore red, orange and yellow colors chosen to be the colors of the event or carried multi-colored, hand-out backpacks.

Three hundred streets have been closed off in downtown Sydney with concrete and wire barriers set up to direct the youths to their gathering points while the city readies itself for what has been billed as an event that rivals the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

More than 200,000 people are expected to attend the papal ceremonies in Sydney later in the week with about 125,000 already registered to arrive from as many as 170 countries. The U.S. contingent is by far the largest overseas group — notably prominent here today — with about 20,000 youth and their accompanying prelates expected so far.

World Youth Day is actually a six-day event that's often dubbed a Catholic-style Woodstock with hundreds of concerts, films, theater performances scheduled each day alongside the masses, over-night prayer vigils and faith-discussion groups.

Many of the youth sleep in make-shift, dormitory-style lodgings set up in schools or parishes in the city and eat at various citywide canteens.

World Youth Day's opening mass was celebrated today in Barangaroo by Australian Cardinal George Pell, against the setting sun in Sydney's harbor. Pope Benedict XVI was not there; he will join the international crowd here when he arrives, escorted by a flotilla of boats, in Sydney harbor on Thursday afternoon.

After a day of walking in the unseasonably warm sun, the young people who gathered for the mass seemed excited just to be here for the first of many religious ceremonies they will attend in Sydney. Waving their national flags and chanting, they watched Aboriginal performances staged in front of the red altar, but later went quiet as they knelt and prayed during the mass.