SIDNEY - 9 October 2006 - 480 words
Australia: Sydney racecourse chosen for World Youth Day Papal Mass
World Youth Day organisers announced on Friday that Randwick Racecourse in Sydney's eastern suburbs has been chosen to host the overnight Vigil and Final Mass.
Pope Paul VI celebrated the first Papal Mass at the venue in 1970, while Pope John Paul II led services there in 1986 and 1995.
The Archbishop of Sydney and LOC chairman, George Cardinal Pell, announced the site's selection with Archbishop Stanislaw Rylko, the President of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, who has been visiting Sydney to review preparations for WYD08.
Cardinal Pell said the event will be the largest gathering of people ever held in Sydney.
"We needed a site that could accommodate up to 600,000 people and get them to and from that site as smoothly as possible," he said.
"Up to 300,000 pilgrims will walk to the site on Saturday for an overnight Vigil with Pope Benedict and a sleep-out under the stars.
"As many as 300,000 more are expected to arrive the following morning to hear His Holiness celebrate the Final Mass."
Cardinal Pell said the Final Mass at previous World Youth Days has sometimes drawn more than one million people.
"We needed to find a site that could deliver the best quality outcome for the largest number of people," he said.
"Eighteen sites were originally considered and a shortlist of four was presented this week to Archbishop Rylko and his two colleagues from the Pontifical Council for the Laity.
"They have been in Sydney since September 28 inspecting sites and meeting senior government and World Youth Day 2008 officials."
Cardinal Pell said that after much consideration, Randwick was chosen as it offers the best combination of space, uninterrupted sight lines and transport links.
"We wanted as many people as possible to see the Pope directly; Randwick offers this opportunity to 400,000 people while another 200,000 or more can be part of the Final Mass in Centennial Park via video link.
"Getting people to and from the site in large numbers was also crucial; the proximity of city railway stations from where the traditional pilgrimage on foot will be made - means that people can move to Randwick Racecourse at the rate of 70,000 per hour.
"While there may be larger sites in Sydney, none could transport people at anything like that rate," he said.
Cardinal Pell said Randwick also had the highest minimum temperatures of any site considered, an important factor for the Vigil and sleep-out.
Archbishop Rylko said he was pleased Randwick would extend its heritage as the site of Papal Masses in Sydney. "This will be the fourth Papal Mass celebrated there," he said.
"His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI is looking forward to his first visit to Australia and to celebrating Mass at the place where Pope John Paul II and Pope Paul VI stood before him."
Source: WYD
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