What does the WYD logo mean?

You have probably seen the WYD logo by now, but do you know what it means and symbolises?

The colour red  of the crown forms the letter M, this stands for Madrid and the M forMaria. The joining of the crown evokes youth coming together.

The crown also represents The Virgen de la Almudena the female patron of Madrid.

The logo also has a cross that reflects the theme for World Youth Day, rooted and built up in Christ and established in the faith.

According to the creator of the logo, the orange, red, and yellow symbolize Spains warmth and the warmth of God.

The designer, Jose Gil-Nogués, said “The [logo] has a spontaneous and strong stroke, as the youth of the twenty-first century. It’s close, friendly, open, cheerful, casual and positive…The use of a palette of warm colors (red, orange and yellow) transmits an unmistakable warmth and heat, identity of a city like Madrid, Spain as a country. These colors are also a reflection of the warmth of God, ‘Trinity of Love.‘”

WYD (World Youth Day) in Spanish is JMJ (Jornada Mundial de la Juventud).

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WYD will Boost Moral Reforms, says Madrid's Cardinal

Cardinal Antonio Rouco, archbishop of Madrid, has said that World Youth Day will be the beginning of a deep "moral renewal of society." 

The cardinal told PALABRA magazine that organisers expect "between half a million and a million" to participate in World Youth Day although they believe "in the central events ... that number will be considerably surpassed."

Cardinal Rouco said that the event "will be of an especially missionary nature," and that it "will give a strong impetus to the apostolic commitment of young people under the sign of the New Evangelization that Benedict XVI has re-launched." So there will be a focus on the renewing and strengthening our faith.

The cardinal explained that the aim underlying WYD was to encourage young people to "live their lives deeply rooted in Christ, and to live all aspects of their personal, profession and faith lives in Christ."

"They are the ones who will be able to begin the path to a deep moral renewal in society. In the end, it is this generation that is called to undertake a true social, cultural and political reform."

New generation

The archbishop of Madrid said "the affirmation does not respond to the truth," and that "a new youth has arisen in the Church" as a result of the series of international events.

The cardinal anticipates that the World Youth Day fruits will be seen "in vocations, in the spiritual, cultural and intellectual formation of young people; in the field of the family and the university; and it will also be translated into an empowerment of the new ecclesial realities [movement and lay associations], which will be very present here." [We previously blogged about the Vocation Expo that you can attend in Madrid.]

Cardinal Rouco also said that he "prays every day, constantly, to Blessed John Paul II so that he will give a hand from above." He continued, "If there is someone who understands well what we have ahead of us, it is he."

The cardinal took the opportunity to appeal to young people to "register as soon as possible for the World Youth Day."

He predicts a warm reception for the youth day pilgrims, and said he "had no worries" that the Pope would be well received.

Cardinal Rouco added that the organizers secured an additional area for pilgrims adjacent to the Cuatro Vientos airfield that will allow for a greater number of pilgrims to attend. "Our great responsibility in organizing the World Youth Day," he said, "is that everyone who comes will be able to participate in those two great central events." 

It sounds that plans are well underway in Madrid as they prepare for us to visit in August

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Posted in: madrid11,world youth day,wyd

A different point of view - literally!

It was clear that throughout our visit to the Vatican we'd gained a greater understanding the way things work. But, while we'd changed our point of view on a lot of old myths surrounding the Church's home in Rome we also had a different point of view more literally!

Take a look a the stunning view from the Secretariat of State - impressive, no?

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Posted in: rome,vatican,view

A sneak peek at News.va website!

We were extremely lucky during our Rome trip as we were given a sneak peek of the news.va website - the new Vatican website that's to be launched this June (2011).

Here's a rather cloak and dagger style film preview of the new website!

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Posted in: launch,new.va,preview,rome,vatican,website

Interview with Fr Lombardi, Vatican Press Officer

Now I'm back from my intrepid travels in Rome, I've been sorting through my interviews. I thought this may be of interest.

The interns met up with Fr Lombardi, the press officer for the Vatican, where he emphasised the importance of diocesan media, the role social media can play in evangelising, and the responsibilities bloggers should consider when posting. It was an interest interview - I videoed some questions which you can watch below.

Let me know what you think? Should we make a move to more local based media, is there a benefit in having a centralised press office, and what do you see as 'responsible behaviour' as a blogger?

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Posted in: fr lombardi,press officer,rome,vatican