The World Youth Day is an encounter between Christ and the Youth
This year’s World Youth Day (WYD) takes place in Cologne, Germany from August 16-21. Pope Benedict XVI, after a warm welcome in his native Germany on Thursday, August 18 will meet the youth for the first time on the same day. WYD is a pilgrimage, a festival of encounter and solidarity for young people.
The invitation is directed to those who ages range from 15 to 30, from all over the world. The purpose of WYD according to Pope John Paul II is a renewal of evangelization to young people. WYD gives them the opportunity to discover the “young and modern mystery of the Church” (John Paul II) through the common experience of pilgrimage, prayer and worship.
“The Church has much to say to young people, and they have much to say to the Church. This mutual dialogue must be open-hearted, clear and courageous. It fosters encounter and exchange between the generations and becomes a source of wealth for the Church and society” (Pope John Paul II).
The official logo for the XX World Youth Day 2005
With its dynamic conception and its clear elements, the logo symbolizes the essence and the characteristics of the 2005 World Youth Day in Cologne.
The most important moment in the World Youth Day is the encounter with Christ, represented by the cross that dominates the logo at its very center. It is Christ’s presence that characterizes this event. The color red symbolizes love, passion and pain. It indicates God’s love and Jesus’ death on the Cross, but reminds one of the pain present in our lives and all over the world. The cross is the main symbol of Christian hope and redemption in Jesus Christ, which is greater than any pain.
The star symbolizes divine guidance and provides a sense of direction. It shines as the divine indication of the place in which Jesus was born. According to the Bible, it showed the wise men from the East, the Three Magi, the road they should travel to reach Jesus. After wandering for a long time, they encountered Jesus and returned home as changed men. Just as it shone then on the stable in Bethlehem, today the star shines on God’s house in Cologne.
The comet’s tail represents the star’s route: it comes from God. Hence, it crosses the limited horizon of our earthly world. The golden colour is a reminder of God’s heavenly light, which lights up the darkness of this world. The comet symbolizes the feast of the Nativity and the Epiphany.
Cologne Cathedral represents the place where the World Youth Day will be held. For centuries, the relics of the Three Magi have been venerated in his cathedral. The Cathedral’s red colouring unites the Church with the Cross: Christ and the Church are inseparable. It is through the Church that Christ, crucified and risen, is present in the history of the world.
There are various levels of meaning for the ellipse, such as the stylised letter C s standing for Christ, but also for the universal communion of the Church (Communio). Furthermore, the arc represents God’s protective embrace. The sky, representing God’s mercy, embraces and saves the Church and the whole world, an idea also expressed by the arc’s blue color. The arc is projected towards the cross while simultaneously opening to it. The logo’s global dynamics derive form the Cross: Christians must turn to the Cross, oriente themselves towards Jesus, crucified and risen, in adoration, as one can read in the theme for the XX World Youth Day: “We have come to worship Him” (Mt 2, 2)
The lower and supporting parts of the arc remind us of the river Rhine and of a boat: the Church is like a ship, also in memory of Noah’s redeeming ark. The blue of this arc symbolizes water and therefore also the water of baptism.
(Taken from the Official Website of the World Youth Youth Day 2005.)