Pilgrims awake to sunny skies for final pope Mass
MADRID—More than a million young people who camped out at a Spanish air base for Pope Benedict XVI’s final Mass at the church’s youth festival awoke to sunny skies Sunday, hours after a fierce thunderstorm forced the pope to cut short his remarks and damaged some structures.
Six people were slightly injured when a tent collapsed during the storm and some makeshift chapels set up on the field’s perimeter were also damaged, forcing organizers to announce Sunday morning over loudspeakers that not everyone would be able to receive Communion during the Mass.
Earlier Saturday before the storm hit, hundreds were treated for heat-related problems amid temperatures that seared to 40C (104F).
Despite the discomfort, pilgrims who spent the night in sleeping bags, tents and under tarps seemed unfazed and organizers announced they were opening a new area at the air base to accommodate late arrivals.
“The night was amazing, I didn’t sleep at all,” said Adrinna Wista, a 21-year-old Polish pilgrim. “We stayed the night chatting, meeting new people and praying with them. Amazing.”
Benedict arrived at the field Sunday morning and processed through the crowd in his white popemobile to the cheers and chants of the flag-waving pilgrims. Spain’s King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia were on hand.
In his initial remarks to the crowd, Benedict said he hoped the young people had managed to get some sleep despite the weather.
On Saturday night, Benedict was forced to cut short his speech at the prayer vigil after the storm knocked out the sound system. Firefighters also mounted the stage scaffolding to make sure it was safe. After about a half-hour delay, Benedict returned to the stage and read only his concluding greetings in a half-dozen languages, though after the storm passed he proceeded with the rest of the vigil program.
This is Benedict’s third World Youth Day, the gathering of young Catholics from around the world once every three years that was launched a quarter-century ago by Pope John Paul II in a bid to reinvigorate and spread the faith among the young. It has the feel of a weeklong rock concert and camping trip, with bands of flag-toting pilgrims roaming through Madrid’s otherwise empty streets to take part in prayer and education sessions, Masses, cultural outings and papal events.
At the end of Sunday’s Mass, Benedict will officially announce that the next World Youth Day will take place in Rio de Janeiro in 2013—a year early to avoid conflicts with the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.—
With Iain Sullivan and Harold Heckle
