Tens of thousands of joyful young Catholics were welcomed to Australia for World Youth Day as the first major event of the six-day festival got underway. An estimated 150,000 pilgrims from around Australia and the world chanted, sang and danced their way to Barangaroo, near Sydney’s Darling Harbour, for the 4.30pm (AEST) opening mass to be delivered by Cardinal George Pell, the leader of the Catholic church in Australia. The pre-mass celebrations included a flag ceremony followed by the arrival of the WYD cross and a large religious icon depicting Madonna and child, both of which have travelled around Australia for the past 12 months. Australia welcomes the youth of the world to this celebration of faith and this celebration of life,” he said. “And as prime minister of Australia I welcome you from every land, every part, every continent on this our planet.” He said the young pilgrims were “so much the light of the world at a time when the world has so much darkness”.

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