WYD 1997 Paris, France

"World Youth Day is changing our perspectives on the future of the Church, and giving us a new burst of hope," says Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger.

Cardinal Lustiger, the archbishop of Paris, made his remarks after celebrating Mass for French-speaking pilgrims in the Flaminio Stadium in the north of Rome, during WYD 2000. He said that after three days of the celebration in Rome, he has been struck primarily by "the prophetic role of youth, which expresses the anticipation of something that is now a dram, but could become a reality." The French prelate said that when World Youth Day was celebrated in Paris in 1997, it marked "a turning point in our apostolic perspective." Rather than thinking of Catholicism as a dwindling force, he said, the celebration helped to remind Church leaders that they should not judge their efforts solely in human terms, "but in light of the hope that we have in God and in his power made manifest through the sacraments."

The World Youth Day Conference began on the August 19th with an opening mass, celebrated by the Archbishop of France at Champ de Mars, near the Eiffle Tower. The Phoenix group was assigned to St. Eustache as our "home parish". Pope John Paul II's welcoming was held at Champ de Mars on Thursday, August 21st.

The Pope designed the World Youth Day conference to relive the holy week celebrations. The was a foot washing celebration on Thursday evening; Stations of the Cross was held on Friday; a "Fraternity chain" of every WYD pilgrim was created around Paris on Saturday. All WYD pilgrims walked to the Longchamp Race Track outside Paris for a candlelight vigil saturday evening. Local Parisians were allowed into the Longchamp area for the Pope's Mass on Sunday morning. Over 1.2 Millian people were at the Pope's Mass on Sunday, with another 200,000 people waiting outside the race track.