Shorter report
WORLD YOUTH DAY '08 LOGO UNVEILED
Inspired by 5 Key Themes
VATICAN CITY, APRIL 9, 2006 (Zenit.org).- The first public showing of the World Youth Day 2008 logo took place in the presence of Benedict XVI, Cardinal George Pell of Sydney, and various officials from Australia.
Morris Iemma, premier of New South Wales, and Malcolm Turnbull, parliamentary secretary to the prime minister, were among those present in St. Peter's Square today as Australian youths displayed the logo for the 2008 event.
The logo appears at www.wyd2008.org.
Today marked the formal commencement of Sydney's role in hosting the 2008 event.
Cardinal Pell led the Australian delegation in Rome for the handover of the World Youth Day cross and the icon of Our Lady. German youths, whose country hosted the World Youth Day last August, turned over the cross and icon to their Australian peers in St. Peter's Square.
"People are very excited about World Youth Day being held in Australia for the first time and by how we are bringing the event and the city of Sydney together," Cardinal Pell said. "We've had very positive feedback on our plans, and we presented some quite new concepts for this event such as an online e-Pilgrimage which is a new way to reach young pilgrims."
The logo for the Sydney event -- with the telltale line "WYD SYD 08" – was emblazoned on the jackets of the 60 Australian youth delegates on hand in St. Peter's Square.
The logo had been presented in Rome the day before to hundreds of youth delegates at the international gathering of World Youth Day organizers.
The logo image encapsulates five separate stories, representing Christ our Savior; the Catholic faith; the pilgrimage that is World Youth Day; the youth participants; and the host city, Sydney.
Spirit
The most prominent image is the flame of the Holy Spirit. The colors of red, yellow and orange also evoke the sense of the Australian outback.
The honeycombed effect across the side of the flame represents receiving the power of the Holy Spirit.
The cross at the centre of the logo is raised in victory representing Christ and the life of witness which the Holy Spirit enables. The white cross indicates Jesus as the light of the world.
The blue chosen for the World Youth Day text reflects the oceans that surround Australia, and the pilgrimage across the oceans to attend World Youth Day. It also represents the waters of baptism, as well as the Blessed Mother. Another image symbolizes the Sydney Opera House.
The World Youth Day logo was designed by a team of professional design companies, with input coming from hundreds of young people around Australia.