More than 2000 young participants have arrived from 21Asian countries to take part in the 7th Asian Youth Day, in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, which is going to begin from August 2-6. The young participants will stay with local Catholic families in 11archdioceses and dioceses, including Jakarta Archdiocese and Bogor Diocese. The program gives participants an opportunity to visit poor areas and places of worship.
As reported by ucanews.com, Franciscan Bishop Paskalis Bruno Syukar of Bogor remarked that “We gather here because we believe in Jesus Christ and we are joyful to bring his teachings to a multicultural group of people, we celebrate our diversity in Christ who unites us.” Further, he added, “I welcome all the participants to become witnesses in striving for social justice and peace as well as in preserving nature.”
Asian Youth Day is mainly organized with an aim to encourage the young Catholics to experience multicultural life styles and new ideas to build up the Church through a strong faith in Jesus Christ. The Asian Youth Day is held every three to five years and the first one was held in Thailand in 1999.
Source: www.ucanews.com
