VATICAN CITY, AUGUST 25 (ZENIT.org-FIDES)

    The "day after" Tor Vergata was a time for assessment. Bishop Stanislaw Rylko, secretary of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, was among the 2,000 World Youth Day organizers invited to lunch at the Papal summer residence of Castel Gandolfo on August 21. Following is the international agency "Fides'" interview with Bishop Rylko

-- How did you find the Pope the day after?

-- Bishop Rylko: Very happy. He thanked each one of us. World Youths Days were his idea; they reflect his pastoral ministry with university students since the 50s. When the Pope tells young people they are his hope, the hope of the Church, he is not just saying it, he means it; he is voicing his experience as a bishop, and the young respond.

    On Monday, August 21, the Pope had to appear at his window at Castel Gandolfo not once, but three times, as young pilgrims continued to arrive and call for his blessing. He could not remain indifferent, hearing them praying and applauding in the square in front of the Papal residence. He rose three times to go to the balcony to greet them."

-- The Youth Jubilee was a surprise for all.

-- Bishop Rylko: Above all, World Youth Day 2000 was a gift that the Great Jubilee brought to the Church, to the world, and to young people themselves. It was an event in collaboration with God, present in a special way in the Holy Year, and youth, who responded with enthusiasm. When God gives, his generosity is always surprising. This element of wonder, of surprise, was tangible everywhere: in Rome, Tor Vergata, St. Peter's, at the Stations of the Cross but, above all, at the Circus Maximus, where thousands of young people received the sacrament of Confession. It was an immense gift, whose significance is yet to be fully understood. This is why World Youth Day 2000 did not end on August 20.

    World Youth Day was also a great sign of the Church present in her young members; a sign of the Church's youthfulness. The Holy Father often says this: World Youth Days are a mirror of the Church. Through them, she shows the world that she is always young, always new, like the message she bears: Jesus Christ is always the same. His word is never in vain; it yields fruit in every generation. This is a great sign of the times: young people showed they are attracted to the Church.

    World Youth Day is also a sign for the world. These young people are different from those of the past: mostly in their 20s, they are truly the sons and daughters of John Paul II's pontificate. They are on the same wavelength as the Pope -- they follow him and trust him. Looking at youth today, from the standpoint of Saturday night car crashes, drugs, and delinquency, one would be tempted to paint a sad picture, with no future. However, in my opinion, this is only a partial picture or, rather, a false one. Here is a new wave of young people, different from those portrayed by the media and even their parents. Many World Youth Day participants are children of nonbelievers. This new generation is discovering something their parents failed to discover or appreciate. The generation of '68 has been overtaken by the John Paul II generation.

-- Was the massive participation also a surprise for you, the organizers?

-- Bishop Rylko: The participation had two aspects: quantity and quality. For the media, the most obvious aspect was the quantity. The number was a surprise. God gave a sign. A new generation is growing, a generation in search of the Lord and of those who have found the Lord; young people who regard the Church as their home, and John Paul II as their spiritual guide, whom they love and trust.

    However, the quality was even more surprising. It was clear, from all that was seen and heard by the bishops, and from the young people themselves, that this World Youth Day was prayed, that it was lived as a prayer. A powerful signal was sent out to young people around the world by the participants, who evangelized without words: waiting for hours in St. Peter's Square, listening attentively to catechesis, receiving the sacrament of Confession. I would say that the vast "open-air Church" at the Circus Maximus gave the most radical signal; but also the meeting at Tor Vergata where, despite the heat, exhaustion, and effort, young people prayed; and how they prayed!

    Gift and sign are the two key elements to understand this World Youth Day. Its message is so rich and complex in content that it will take weeks and months to reflect and decipher its significance. This will require a common effort from bishops and educators, in order to discern the task that comes with the gift. We have our young people; we have a great thirst for Christ. The challenge is to respond with suitable methods of ministry and education.

-- The Church is often reduced to preaching values, rules, activism (justice and peace, environment, etc.). However, all this seems to overlook the central element. During World Youth Day something special took place.

-- Bishop Rylko: The question posed by John Paul II to the young people, during the World Youth Day event, was fundamental. "What have you come for? Who are you looking for?" The Pope focused World Youth Day on the encounter with Jesus Christ. I see the phenomenon of the Confessions as the perfect response to the Pope's challenge: the Lord can be most intimately encountered in Confession, in conversion of heart. The Holy Father also spoke of a "laboratory of the faith." The whole World Youth Day was a laboratory; an intense itinerary leading up to a choice of faith. Naturally, the experience of the encounter with Jesus Christ does not exclude practices connected with this faith in him. However, it is right to emphasize the root: the discovery of Christ. The rest is a consequence. However, if we build on consequences, the structure falls.

-- What did the media and political leaders see?

-- Bishop Rylko: Only toward the end of the event did the media realize that the Pope's relationship with young people has nothing to do with manipulation. The Pope helps young people to open their hearts to Jesus Christ, whereas politicians are not genuinely interested in young people. They meet them in a utilitarian way, anxious only to manipulate them. Herein lies the difference: in truth and honesty. Young people sense this. They come to these rallies, they meet the Pope, and they know he has no calculating motives: he only wants their profound good.

-- What must bishops and educators understand?

-- Bishop Rylko: A method of youth ministry was proposed during World Youth Day: to concentrate on the essential. At times, when we speak to young people, we talk about all manner of things. We think it is very pleasing, but we forget that their first right is to hear about Jesus Christ and his Gospel. I think that ecclesial movements have understood this well: in youth ministry there must be direct proclamation of Jesus Christ. Much additional contents, of course, is necessary, but without Christ it is only the froth on an empty vessel. Much depends on the educators in youth ministry: how they live their faith; how they encounter the Lord. A youth leader who has encountered the Lord, whose life has radically changed, will be a good educator, because he or she will be able to communicate his/her own personal experience.

    Another element, dear to the Holy Father, which must be understood, is the importance and beauty of youth in the human person's life. This is a very special time, and this is why the best resources must be dedicated to youth ministry.

    Finally, radicalism. The Pope says: I am a friend of young people, but a demanding friend. A true friend does not agree with everything, applaud everything his friend wants or says. At times young people say they want things which, in the end, they themselves do not accept. The Pope is not afraid to ask them to be saints, to be faithful to purity before marriage, to accept the call to a life of consecration. Sometimes youth leaders may take young people's expectations, things that seem to please them, as basic criteria for education. However, these desires fail to express the deepest longing for the truth. It is important to accept young people, but they must be accepted in love and truth, calling "good" what is good, and "evil" what is evil. ZE00082512

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