NEWS RELEASES

August 20, 2000 (12:00 p.m. EDT) No. 204

TORONTO TO HOST WORLD YOUTH DAY IN 2002

Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd Axworthy has welcomed the announcement that His Holiness Pope John Paul II has selected Toronto as the site of the 2002 World Youth Day. The Pope announced his choice at the close of the 15th World Youth Day today in Rome.

"His Holiness Pope John Paul II has greatly honoured Canada by selecting Toronto as the site of the next gathering of Catholic young people from all over the world," said Minister Axworthy. "These young pilgrims will be here demonstrating their faith and their hope in the future. I am sure that all Canadians will be very pleased to welcome them."

The event, in which hundreds of thousands of young people will converge on Toronto in late July 2002, will be sponsored by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops. It will be preceded by pastoral activities throughout Canada.

The first World Youth Day was organized in Rome in 1984 at the request of Pope John Paul II. These great pastoral gatherings have also taken place in Buenos Aires (1987), Santiago de Compostela (1989), Czestochowa (1991), Denver (1993), Manila (1995) and Paris (1997).

World Youth Days are spiritual and cultural events in which Roman Catholic young people the world over profess their faith and renew their ties with the Church. In the spirit of ecumenism, they also invite youth of other religions to reaffirm their faith.

Dennis Mills, Member of Parliament for Toronto-Danforth, represented the Government of Canada at this year's World Youth Day. Ontario Premier Mike Harris and Toronto Mayor Mel Lastman also travelled to Rome for the event.

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