St. James News and Information

Why Another Course on Exorcism and Satanism

Interview With Carlo Climati

ROME, SEPT. 8, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Interest in Satanism hasn't waned.

That is why the Regina Apostolorum Pontifical University and the Socioreligious Research and Information Group are offering a course on "Exorcism and the Prayer of Deliverance," the second of its kind.

To better understand the objectives and reasons for the course, which starts Oct. 13, ZENIT interviewed one of the program's teachers, Carlo Climati, a journalist who has written on youth Satanism.

Q: How did the idea arise to organize a second course on exorcism and Satanism, after the one already imparted in February, March and April of last year, which received unexpected coverage by the media worldwide?

Climati: There was a need to respond to the numerous requests that came from various parts of the world. The second course will be held from October 13 to February 9, 2006, with a break in mid-November and mid-January.

It is reserved for priests and students with a licentiate in theology who are preparing for the priesthood. Moreover, it will be possible to follow the course by videoconference from Bologna, Perugia, Assisi, Maddaloni and other cities around the world.

Q: What are the novelties of this second edition?

Climati: All the professors of the first course have been confirmed. To these will be added Archbishop Angelo Comastri, the Pope's vicar general for Vatican City, and Bishop Andrea Gemma, F.D.P., of Isernia-Venafro, for the opening session, as well as several exorcists for the closing session.

Q: How has the first course been evaluated?

Climati: Optimally. A total of 127 people participated from Italy, Africa, Mexico, Brazil, the United States, Austria, Germany and Slovakia. In particular, its interdisciplinary character was very much appreciated, which allowed for a complete view of the arguments, including the scientific point of view. Without a doubt, among the objectives of the course was to remove such a difficult and delicate argument from a superficial and sensationalist approach.

Q: Did the interest of the media in the first course contribute to this result?

Climati: Undoubtedly. Newspapers, radios, magazines, news agencies and television channels from all over the world talked about our initiative with a correct and balanced language, which corresponded to the spirit of the course. Our sincere gratitude goes to all the journalists who made that course known, for the seriousness they demonstrated in their task of informing.

Q: What are the objectives of the second course?

Climati: In addition to the topic of exorcism, there will be much discussion on the problem of Satanism and sects. This second course also has the objective to give priests useful instruments for their pastoral work of information and support to families.

Some incidents mentioned by the media recently must be a sign of alarm to take seriously a problem that is still underestimated: the increase of interest in Satanism. With his solid preparation, a priest can offer an important contribution to address this problem, which can affect above all young people.

Q: How would you describe the phenomenon of youth Satanism?

Climati: Youth Satanism is, above all, domestic Satanism, "homemade." There are increasingly more youths who admit to being fascinated by devil worship and by a world of lugubrious and dark environments. For many of them, shadows seem to be more attractive than light.

"Homemade" Satanism is an even more harmful phenomenon than sects. A sect, in fact, can be discovered and easily controlled. But the personal initiative of three or four youths gets out of control. One only succeeds in intervening when the evil has already been done.

For this reason, it is important to offer appropriate information to families. In this connection, a priest can have a determinant role and offer precious preventive action.

Cardinal McCarrick Is Asked to Stay at Post

WASHINGTON, D.C., SEPT. 7, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Cardinal Theodore McCarrick says that Benedict XVI wants him to stay on as archbishop of Washington, even though the U.S. prelate has reached the usual retirement age.

The cardinal said he was notified of the Pope's decision by a letter from the apostolic nuncio in the United States.

As required under canon law, Cardinal McCarrick had offered his resignation on his 75th birthday, July 7.

"I accept the Holy Father's decision with gratitude and confidence," Cardinal McCarrick said. He announced the news Monday to a gathering of priests in Washington.

Cardinal McCarrick has been a priest for 47 years and a bishop for 28. Originally ordained for the Archdiocese of New York, he served as the first bishop of Metuchen, in New Jersey, and as archbishop of Newark. In January 2001, he succeeded 80-year-old Cardinal James Hickey as archbishop of Washington.

Catholic Schools Nationwide Open Doors To Displaced Students

USCCB, WASHINGTON (September 2, 2005)—Catholic schools from across the nation are opening their doors to students displaced by Hurricane Katrina.

The Diocese of Shreveport, Louisiana, which has seven elementary schools, for example, enrolled more than 200 students in the days after displaced people from afflicted dioceses moved into the Shreveport area.

Shreveport Superintendent Sister Carol Shively said the increased number of students calls for an increased number of teachers. “We are in need of teachers who are willing to simply donate in the name of the Lord,” she said.

Dioceses are offering tuition-free attendance, free books and backpacks, and whatever else students need as students begin the school year away from home. Relatives living thousands of miles away who are taking in nieces and nephews from the Gulf Coast area are finding that their local Catholic schools also have agreed to help displaced persons.

In some areas teachers also have been advised of special needs that students will have because of the trauma of the upheaval.

Schools in non-affected areas, such as the Diocese of Owensboro, Kentucky, are twinning with affected schools and planning various fundraising activities. One named “Katrina’s Kids” already is underway in the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee, Florida.

Routine concerns about cost, paperwork, even class size, have been put aside.

Sister Glenn Anne McPhee, the U.S. Bishops’ Secretary for Education, praised the work and pledged that Catholic schools across the country would do whatever was needed to bring stability and hope to students affected by Hurricane Katrina.

“Our top priority are students, from pre-school to college,” she said. “Throughout the country there are efforts to bring stability to students’ lives by providing them with educational opportunities so that their schooling will be as uninterrupted as possible.”

She also applauded the efforts of the National Catholic Educational Association (www.ncea.org) and its Child to Child campaign whereby Catholic school children and students in religious education programs will be extending a helping hand – one dollar at a time – to their counterparts in areas impacted by Hurricane Katrina.

In Jackson, Mississippi, where the population doubled in four days, Sister Deborah Hughes, superintendent of Catholic schools, said the diocese will have open doors for whoever wants to come to any Catholic school in the diocese.

“The financial aspect (tuition, hiring new teachers, etc.) of all this cannot be a priority right now,” she said. The diocesan school office will assist schools if they have financial needs as a result of bringing in these new students. “I believe in my heart that people will come forward to help,” she said. Catholic school superintendents from throughout the country already had contacted her, she said.

Three Catholic schools in the Diocese of Tulsa, Oklahoma, accepted students, as did schools in the Archdiocese of Washington. just days after the hurricane struck. Similar announcements also have been made by the Diocese of Corpus Christi, Texas, and elsewhere. The Dioceses of Kansas City-St. Joseph, Missouri also is seeing students from the stricken area arrive to live with relatives and attend local Catholic schools.

In the Archdiocese of Washington, all pastors and principals were asked to welcome students from Catholic schools in the devastated region and to waive tuition for those who are financially in need and to contact the Archdiocese’s Catholic school office for assistance in providing uniforms, books and supplies. Principals throughout the nation also are contacting uniform companies and text book companies to assist as needed.

Private Catholic schools run by religious orders are assisting other schools of their order. In Tulsa, for example, the Christian Brothers high school is helping their brother schools in New Orleans. A school staffed by the Salesian order in St. Petersburg, Florida, will assist other Salesian schools the Gulf coast region.

The superintendent in the Diocese of Knoxville, Tennessee, notified schools to enroll refugees even “without proof of birth, immunization, or tuition as may be necessary” she said. Other dioceses have issued similar notifications.

Catholic schools in the Diocese of Charlotte, North Carolina, in opening their schools tuition free to displaced children noted that “schools will be handling uniforms, books, supplies and lunch money for these children,” said Superintendent Linda Cherry.

Susan Mueller, superintendent of schools in the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee, Florida, said the local schools have approximately 45 students from the New Orleans and Biloxi, Mississippi areas. “Our diocese is offering one year’s free tuition (including other fees to all those who are here because of Katrina,” she said. “We are also starting the ‘Katrina’s Kids’ fund to help them and the schools that welcome them in any way we can.”

The Diocese of Dallas, Texas, is also accepting students. Dallas’s local Reunion Arena is being used as a shelter so the diocese has asked all schools to collect games and toys and books that can be given to the people in the Reunion area. The diocese also has asked displaced teachers “to come and apply to be substitute teachers.” Schools in the diocese also are making parents aware of families housing relatives that have been displaced and are trying to unify a support system for the hosting families.

In the Diocese of St. Petersburg, Florida, Brother John Cummings, superintendent of schools, alerted schools to deal with the stress students may experience. He distributed advice from the Jackson Health System and the University of Miami School of Medicine.

In the Diocese of Venice, Florida, Catholic schools are welcoming displaced elementary and high school students and providing backpacks and school supplies. Efforts also are being made through parishes and schools to locate housing for these students and their families.

Catholic Church Provides Food, Facilities, Medical Services For Gulf Coast People Displaced By Katrina

USCCB WASHINGTON (September 1, 2005)--Catholic Church facilities nationwide, and especially in Louisiana, Mississippi and East Texas, are responding to emergency and long-term needs by providing shelters, food, medicine and schooling for Hurricane Katrina refugees.

Virtually all dioceses nationwide planned parish collections the first weekends of September. In addition, further immediate assistance is coming through everything from Catholic Charities agencies, St. Vincent DePaul Societies, Catholic schools, Catholic hospitals, parishes, retreat centers and families.

Examples abound.

The Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, Texas, where well over 30,000 storm refugees relocated from New Orleans and other Gulf Coast dioceses, is providing immediate monetary aid and housing. The local Catholic hospital, Christus St. Joseph, mobilized its mobile health unit to assist at shelters. Catholic schools in the archdiocese are accepting displaced students and allowing them to register without transcripts or other transfer papers. The St. Vincent DePaul Society has appealed locally for supplies such as new children’s sleeping bags, pillows, slippers, pajamas, crayons, coloring books, backpacks, and school supplies. In addition, St. Peter Claver church in Northeast Houston has been opened by the American Red Cross as a shelter and other churches will open as shelters as soon as the Red Cross needs them.

The Diocese of Tyler, Texas, which was about to launch a Catholic Charities office for the diocese, was prompted by the storm to begin its operations immediately. Tyler diocesan
parishes began reaching out to refugees who moved into the diocese the weekend before the
storm as reports of the in-coming hurricane were received. At. St. Joseph Parish in Marshall, Texas, a former convent was made available to those wanting showers, and parishioners opened their homes, provided food, fuel, phone and gift cards for storm refugees. The parish made up tee-shirts for their guests – with St. Joseph’s Church in small print and a large print message: “Jesus loves you and so do we.”

In the Diocese of Beaumont, Texas to which thousands of refugees were evacuated, parishes are preparing meals, collecting gift cards to Wall-mart, and hosting people. A diocesan retreat center has been housing 35 people since before the hurricane hit. The Hospitality Center, a diocesan soup kitchen, was preparing to provide meals for people as their money runs out.

The Diocese of Jackson, Mississippi, donated Catholic Extension Society bibles, toiletries and bedding to storm refugees at the local Coliseum, home to 1,100 refugees. It was also developing a plan for educating students stranded in the diocese.

The Diocese of St. Petersburg, Florida, was accepting patients into its Catholic hospital system and Catholic Charities there was working to provide temporary housing. In early September the diocese also will send a team of people to the ravaged area to assess what kind of physical, as well as financial, assistance they can provide.

Dioceses as far away as the Diocese of Albany, New York, were prepared to send volunteers to assist in the affected dioceses and said it would help in relocating people if necessary. Catholic Charities staff noted that offers of help from people in the diocese included everything from a band offering to perform a benefit concert to a child offering to send toys.

In the Diocese of Orlando, Florida, staff at Catholic Charities were gathering non-perishables for distribution in the afflicted areas, helping families locate missing relatives and helping to settle storm refugees with housing and other items.

The Diocese of Alexandria, Louisiana, 190 miles north of New Orleans, had several of its facilities designated as evacuation sites. The diocesan high school was housing people evacuated from Our Lady of Wisdom House, a retirement facility in New Orleans, which initially evacuated 103 residents to a stadium in Alexandria. The Alexandria diocesan retreat
center was housing a group of retired Sisters of the Holy Family and Red Cross relief workers. St. Mary’s Residential Treatment Center for the Developmentally Disabled has provided shelter to 26 patients with feeding tubes and many developmentally disabled adults. (The Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, which operates the Our Lady of Wisdom retirement facility in New Orleans, evacuated another 25 residents to other facilities of the order in Arkansas and Oklahoma. Others were relocated to facilities in Texas and St. Louis.)

The Diocese of Shreveport, Louisiana, where a number or refugees have been resettled, announced it would accept any children affected by Hurricane Katrina in Shreveport diocesan schools at no cost. The schools will keep a transcript of grades to send back to the schools in southern Louisiana when they reopen.

The Diocese of Owensboro, Kentucky began a fund to help storm refugees in the Diocese of Shreveport to provide school supplies for the students. Students in Owensboro will “adopt” students in Shreveport and send money and letters of support.

Throughout the country, dioceses are planning additional responses as specific needs become clearer.

Email us at commdept@usccb.org
Office of Media Relations | 3211 4th Street, N.E., Washington DC 20017-1194 | (202) 541-3000 © USCCB. All rights reserved.

National Retirement Office Will Help Relocate Elderly Religious Displaced By Katrina

USCCB, WASHINGTON (September 1, 2005)—The National Religious Retirement Office, founded to address the retirement crisis affecting members of religious orders in the United States, is offering to help relocate elderly religious who have been displaced by Hurricane Katrina.

NRRO staff took the action after learning that “a considerable number of religious communities that have been displaced by the hurricane,” said Sister Janice Bader, project director of the NRRO office and coordinator of the relocation effort. “We have received second-hand news that some of them have been able to find places to relocate their sisters and brothers.  We suspect that there still may be a need to find suitable places to relocate others, particularly the elderly,” she said

The NRRO will serve as a clearing house to assist religious in finding housing and has asked religious communities throughout the United States to indicate if they can house some of the religious displaced by the hurricane.. Those who can help are asked to indicate:

1. The number of rooms / beds available
2. The level of care they can provide (independent, assisted living, nursing care)
3. The gender of persons they can house
4. The approximate length of time they may be able to offer housing since the need may exist for months, not just days or weeks.
The NRRO also requested information about religious who are seeking places for their members.

The National Religious Retirement office, which is supported by a collection taken up annually in parishes across the country for retired religious, also said it may be able to assist with emergency funds to help cover the costs of the relocation if that is necessary.

  Information should be sent via e-mail (jbader@usccb.org) or by phone (202) 541-3465.  Sister Bader also can be reached over the weekend by cell phone at 240-606-4094.

  The National Religious Retirement Office was established by the U.S. Bishops and organizations for men and women religious in 1987. Since its foundation it has provided over $ 452 million to as many as 750 religious orders of men and women to address retirement needs. There are over 30,000 retired religious in the United Sates.

Email us at commdept@usccb.org
Office of Media Relations | 3211 4th Street, N.E., Washington DC 20017-1194 | (202) 541-3000 © USCCB. All rights reserved.

Louisiana, Mississippi Dioceses Devastated By Hurricane; Poorest Dioceses Hurt The Most

USCCB, WASHINGTON (September 1, 2005)—Dioceses in Louisiana and Mississippi face unparalleled devastation from Hurricane Katrina, reports from bishops in several of the dioceses indicate.

The reports came in to the offices of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops shortly after USCCB officials e-mailed and faxed the bishops of Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky and Alabama August 30 to advise them that USCCB president, Bishop William Skylstad of Spokane (WA), had called for a national collection and prayers in churches for those afflicted by the disastrous hurricane.

Some bishops in the affected regions could not be reached.

“All the bishops of the United States are concerned for the number of church personnel who are isolated, working under great adversity, and perhaps not even aware that the whole rest of the country is praying for them” Bishop Skylstad. “We don’t even know if all of them are safe.”

Bishops reporting to the USCCB indicated how much dioceses had been affected.
The Dioceses of Shreveport and Baton Rouge, which are just far enough north to have been spared from the storm, are working to accommodate those displaced from the stricken areas, reported Bishop William Friend of Shreveport.

Archbishop Alfred C. Hughes of New Orleans, who had to evacuate to Baton Rouge, reported from a parish there. He said that, assisted by Louisiana State Police, he has been going to visit shelters in the Baton Rouge, area which has taken in 100,000 people from the New Orleans area.

Bishop Thomas J. Rodi of Biloxi, Mississippi, reached the USCCB by cell phone and said 20 percent of the diocese’s churches and a third of its schools have been destroyed. Every rectory, school, convent and diocesan building sustained moderate to severe damage, he said. He was working from his office where there was no water or electricity.

Bishop Terry Steib of Memphis was stranded in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, his office said. He was safe, but his car was destroyed.

The USCCB is in constant contact with Catholic Charities USA, located in Alexandria, VA, which is working with Homeland Security and the local diocesan Catholic Charities organizations to move relief supplies and equipment into the areas which are accessible at this time.

Bishop Skylstad praised the response of Catholics to this tragedy and encouraged them to continue their prayers and donations for the people in these dioceses.

“Most of the dioceses are Home Mission dioceses, which struggle to survive under the best of conditions,” he said. “They are the least able to cope with this adversity.” Home Mission dioceses are those dioceses which can not operate solely on local donations and rely on the support of other dioceses to fund even basic pastoral life.

Email us at commdept@usccb.org
Office of Media Relations | 3211 4th Street, N.E., Washington DC 20017-1194 | (202) 541-3000 © USCCB. All rights reserved.

In the Wake of Katrina, Calls for Prayer

"We Are Overwhelmed," Says New Orleans Archbishop

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana, AUG. 31, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Archbishop Alfred Hughes of New Orleans gathered with the governor of Louisiana and religious leaders to pray for the survivors and victims of Hurricane Katrina.

"We are so overwhelmed, we do not know how to respond,'' Archbishop Hughes said today in Baton Rouge, according to the Times-Picayune newspaper.

The prelate did offer a suggestion: Turn to prayer. The archbishop read from the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans: "We know that all things work for the good of God ... if God is for us, who can be against us?''

Governor Kathleen Blanco concurred. "We need a higher power right now," she said. "There are a lot of people to pray for."

The governor asked residents to spend the day in prayer.

"That would be the best thing to calm our spirits and thank Our Lord that we are survivors," she said. "Slowly, gradually, we will recover; we will survive; we will rebuild."

Thousands feared lost

The mayor of New Orleans, Ray Nagin, meanwhile, warned that the hurricane probably killed thousands of people in the city. Two levees were breached a day after the hurricane struck the region, leading to the flooding of the below-sea-level city.

At least 100 people were reported dead in the neighboring state of Mississippi.

Catholic Charities USA is preparing to help in the rebuilding process in the Gulf Coast.

"The mission of Catholic Charities USA is to rebuild lives; our niche is long-term disaster response," spokeswoman Shelly Borysiewicz told ZENIT.

"We are now trying to decide what the best response will be, whether it's housing, resettling people in other cities or job placement," she said. "We're in for the long haul."

Typically in emergency situations, such as the aftermath of a hurricane, Catholic Charities USA offers mental health counseling, temporary housing or housing assistance vouchers and emergency cash assistance to those who have lost jobs, Borysiewicz said.

Aid programs

Catholic Charities USA has a Web site for relief aid at www.catholiccharitiesusa.org/news/katrina.cfm, and the phones have been "ringing off the hook," Borysiewicz said.

"Once we determine everyone's needs, we'll distribute all donations to the local Catholic Charities agencies in areas affected by Hurricane Katrina," she said.

The U.S. bishops have asked that dioceses make a special collection for the hurricane victims to be distributed through Catholic Charities USA.

Meanwhile, the Connecticut-based Supreme Council of the Knights of Columbus provided initial relief funds for the victims of Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida today.

Knights of Columbus members and the general public are asked to donate to a disaster relief fund administered by Knights of Columbus Charities.

Donors in the United States should make checks payable to Knights of Columbus Charities USA and send them to:

Knights of Columbus Charities USA Inc.
Gift Processing Center
PO Box 9028
Pittsfield, MA 01202-9028
Attn: Hurricane Katrina Relief.

Donors in Canada should make checks payable to Knights of Columbus Canada Charities and send them to:

Knights of Columbus Canada Charities Inc.
Gift Processing Center
PO Box 7252 Station A
Toronto, ON, M5W 1X9
Attn: Hurricane Katrina Relief.

The Knights, the world's largest Catholic lay organization, says that 100% of contributions will go directly to hurricane relief, and all donations to Knights of Columbus Charities are tax-deductible.

Hurricane Katrina: Catholic Charities USA Collecting Donations for Recovery Efforts

Catholic Charities USA is collecting financial donations to help communities recover from the damage brought on by Hurricane Katrina. Donations will be used to fund local Catholic Charities agencies’ emergency and long-term disaster recovery efforts in areas hit by the hurricane.

Catholic Charities USA, which has been commissioned by the U.S. Catholic Bishops to represent the Catholic community in times of domestic disaster, responds with emergency and long-term assistance as needed. Its Disaster Response Office connects the Church’s social service agencies and disaster planning offices across the nation.

To contribute to the Hurricane Katrina Disaster Relief Fund:

Call (800) 919-9338

Visit online

Send checks to

Catholic Charities USA
Hurricane Katrina
PO Box 25168 Alexandria, VA 22313-9788

Catholic Charities USA is unable to accept contributions of food, clothing, blankets and other relief supplies. Its federal ID number is 53-0196620. For information, contact: Shelley Borysiewicz Manager of Media Relations Catholic Charities USA (703) 549-1390 x147 sborysiewicz@catholiccharitiesusa.org

Cardinal McCarrick on World Youth Day

"The Call to Believe and Be Proud That You're a Catholic"

COLOGNE, Germany, AUG. 28, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Organizers of World Youth Day in Cologne expressed their hope that the young pilgrims learned a lot about their faith during their visit so they can take it with them.

Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, who attended the event in Cologne, shares that hope. The 75-year-old the archbishop of Washington, D.C., shared his impressions of World Youth Day with ZENIT.

Q: What has this 20th World Youth Day meant to you and your diocesan group?

Cardinal McCarrick: I think it's been a great experience -- just as each WYD is. When John Paul the Great was our Pope, the WYDs were an extraordinary time of joy and gathering for Catholic young people and, of course I expected that the same sort of thing would be true this time with Pope Benedict and I'm happy to say it was. …

The young people were so enthusiastic about meeting the new Pope, about seeing him and listening to him and he fulfilled their expectations.

The Holy Father was very warm, he was very gracious -- he has a different style than his predecessor, obviously because he's a different person and he wants to be his own person.

He's a very authentic man and I think that he came across that way to them. They knew that they were going to have a different experience but it was a very pleasant and holy experience.

The youth found a man who is very humble, who is very bright, very wise and very brilliant, and yet, a man who was so obviously happy to be with them as he waved and smiled. …

Q: There were other elements which assisted in promoting this sense of holiness weren't there?

Cardinal McCarrick: The music was wonderful. I was so impressed by the music that the organizers had put together. At the vigil and then again at the Sunday Mass, the musical components helped me to get carried away by the whole experience.

This, as part of a stunning liturgy, tempted me to take an extra book of the Mass that was on my chair. I'll bring it with me to Washington now and see if we can learn some of those hymns ourselves because they are so powerful. And, I think that when the young people joined in, too, they really had a great time.

Q: It is apparent that the week and events were colored by some beautiful manifestations, especially brought to the front by international groups. How did these encourage an attraction to the faith?

Cardinal McCarrick: We had a group of about 300 people from Washington that we know of … so that was a great start. I think that one of the most important things for our young people was getting to meet people from other cultures and other countries.

They would tell you straight away -- "Oh, I met a guy from Africa … or South America … I met a girl from Poland," and this was a wonderful thing, that they could taste and see the universality of the Church. I myself had a chance to speak and preach in German frequently, which recalled my studies in Switzerland earlier on in my life.

They had known about it and we had taught them about it before and have really exposed them to the "catholicity" of the Church but here they see it played out in front of them.

People talking different languages they don't understand -- all discussing the great mysteries of our religion that they share. This is one of the special things they will always treasure.

Q: Did you have a chance to live this yourself, Cardinal McCarrick?

Cardinal McCarrick: I was privileged in having two catecheses -- one on Wednesday where I had 10,000 people, and that was great! It was in the stadium and I think it worked out well -- I was caught up into it because the Lord was certainly present in the youngsters.

Australia Expecting a Smaller Youth-Day

SYDNEY, Australia, AUG. 26, 2005 (Zenit.org).- The Archdiocese of Sydney has proposed "Take Up Your Cross and Follow Me," from Matthew 10:38, as the theme for World Youth Day 2008.

Marita Winters, spokeswoman for the archdiocese, told ZENIT that the proposed theme, and tentative date for the event, July 15-20, 2008, have been submitted to the Pontifical Council for the Laity.

She put the estimated budget for the event at $60 million.

Costs will be shared between the local Church, the pilgrims, donations from benefactors and sponsors, and the local community, Winters said.

It is expected that some 80,000 to 100,000 foreign pilgrims will attend, as well as some 100,000 to 125,000 Australians.

The numbers are not as high as in other World Youth Days because of the high cost of travel to Australia, especially from Western countries.

Some 2,500 Australians attended the recent Youth Day in Cologne, the highest number from that country since the 1984 event.