TORONTO, Canada, July 23, 2002 — They count themselves as belonging to a group that constitutes 17.3 per cent of the world's population, whose actual number (at last count) was 1,018,257,000 members around the globe.
PHOTO: R. Simpson / CBS
Brazilian Pilgrims sing and dance as they wait to register for World Youth Day at the International Centre in Toronto, Canada on July 24, 2002.
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They're young and they're tired. They come alone or they come in groups; by the dozens or by the hundreds. Their clothes are rumpled and their faces have taken on that greasy look from having spent far too many hours on buses, trains or airplanes, without a good sleep or a shower. Many have been in transit for days. They're lugging backpacks and sleeping bags, guitars and suitcases. They're from Croatia, Brazil, Laos, Italy, Tahiti, the U.K., the U.S. and at least a hundred other countries. But the excitement in their eyes, and the enthusiasm in their voices is so real, so obvious, it is in fact, infectious.
Pope John Paul II has called them the future of the world and the hope of the church.
They are Christians. They are Catholics. And today, they are pilgrims - arriving at the four Registration Centres across Toronto, to register their presence for the 17th World Youth Day celebrations.
Their reasons for coming are as individual as the pilgrims themselves
Their reasons for coming are personal and varied. Some, like Elvio Nascimento from the State of Sao Paolo, Brazil come to achieve life-long goals. "I've always wanted to meet the Pope, at least to see him, (even if only) from far away. Also, I've had a dream to travel abroad; and this is my first time. And I really am willing to have a meeting with Jesus - with God here. So I have lots of goals here," he said.
PHOTO: R. Simpson
Elvio Nascimento brought 72 young Pilgrims from Brazil to attend World Youth Day in Toronto, Canada. July 24, 2002.
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PHOTO: R. Simpson
Fourteen-year-old Theresa Funk travelled to Toronto from Maryland, USA to join in the celebrations.
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