Cardinal Rouco surprised at thousands of youth participating in missionary event

Madrid, Spain, Jul 31, 2007 / 11:35 am

The Archbishop of Madrid, Cardinal Antonio Maria Rouco Varela said this week he was surprised at the thousands of young people who have taken to the streets “to proclaim Jesus Christ as the Savior of mankind and of young people” in the Mission Youth event in Madrid.

Speaking on the COPE radio network, the cardinal said young people have given “testimony to it publicly, in a personal and communal way, with their words.”  He explained that Mission Youth, which was launched in 2005, was intended to be a apostolic, spiritual and pastoral venture which was more explicitly defined over time to bring Christ to the young people of Madrid.  “The main objective,” he pointed out, “was the missionary proclamation to young people in the circles in which they move.” Mission Youth has reached every place where young people interact, even on the weekends, he added.

Cardinal Rouco announced that members of Mission Youth will have an audience with the Pope on August 9 at Castelgandolfo, “coincidentally on the feast of St. Teresa Benedicta de la Cruz, one of the most brilliant young people of the 20th century.”  “We want to tell the Holy Father about the Mission and ask for his encouragement to continue it,” the cardinal said.

The next target of Mission Youth will be young married couples. “The young families of Madrid evangelize the young families of Madrid” will be the theme for the next stage, encouraging young couples to be “witnesses of the faith to their children, evangelizing their own homes,” he said.