Poland - Towards World Youth Day 2016 (8)
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17 March 2016

(ANS - Krakow) - The hoped-for result of World Youth Day 2016 is that young people carry the flame of the merciful love of Christ in their daily life. Bishop Damian Muskus, OFM, Auxiliary Bishop of Cracow and General Coordinator of the Organizing Committee of World Youth Day 2016, speaks to Grażyna Starzak in the second part of his interview.

Cardinal Dziwisz, Archbishop of Krakow and promoter of World Youth Day in Krakow, is hoping that young people return to their countries carrying the "flame of Divine Mercy". This will be a very valuable fruit, especially in today’s world.

Cardinal Dziwisz was not the first promoter. It was the young people themselves who met him at World Youth Day in Madrid and expressed their desire that the homeland of Pope John Paul II be the host of this World Youth Day. Our Cardinal supported this initiative. This clarification is important, because it shows that from the beginning the young people are behind this project. Going back to your question, we must also make reference to the message of Pope Francis for World Youth Day 2016: "Allow yourselves to be touched by his boundless mercy in order to become in turn apostles of mercy through your deeds, words and prayer, in a world wounded by selfishness, hatred, and desperation. Carry the flame of the merciful love of Christ - as St John Paul II said - in the sphere of your daily life and to the ends of the earth."

How many young people are expected in Krakow in July?

Many! This meeting is arousing great interest. The number of people registered by mid-February was almost 600 thousand. These are only initial figures. The actual number will be known when we come to the second stage. And we must remember that many people will decide to come at the last moment. I think that 1.5-2 million young people is not an exaggerated figure for the number of participants in the final celebrations to be held on "Campus Misericordiae".

You have also appealed to the priests of Poland:

I know that this appeal has been received by many priests. I am very happy. I have asked the priests to show a concrete sign of responsibility towards the new Polish generations: the gesture of donating a little money to help some young people who cannot pay for the trip to Krakow. This will be our priestly gift to the young people in this Year of Mercy.

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