World Youth Day Cross
The World Youth Day Cross , also known as the Holy Year Cross , Jubilee Cross or Youth Cross , is a simple wooden cross that was given to young people in 1984 by Pope John Paul II and has since traveled around the world as a symbol of the World Youth Days . Since 2000 it has been accompanied by a copy of the Marian icon Salus Populi Romani .
history
Pope John Paul II had the 3.8 m high cross erected on the occasion of the “ Holy Year of Redemption 1983–1984 ” and placed next to the main altar of St. Peter's Basilica . After the closing of the Holy Door during the closing service of the Holy Year on April 22, 1984, Easter Sunday , he gave it to the youth of the world.
The cross was then taken to numerous countries and participated in youth meetings in Lourdes in 1984 and in Prague in 1985 . In 1986 the first World Youth Day followed in Rome . Since then, the cross has traveled all over the world and to the World Youth Days.
On the XV. World Youth Day 2000 in Rome, John Paul II also presented the youth of the world with a copy of the icon of Mary Salus Populi Romani from the Roman church of Santa Maria Maggiore , which has accompanied the World Youth Day Cross since then.
Canadian youth brought the cross to Rome on Palm Sunday 2003, where it was presented to a delegation of German youth by John Paul II . The cross then traveled through Europe and all German dioceses to arrive in Cologne for World Youth Day 2005 .
On Palm Sunday 2006 in Rome on St. Peter's Square, according to tradition , it was passed on from German youth to the youth of Australia, where in Sydney 2008 the XXIII. World Youth Day took place. After the World Youth Days in Madrid in 2011 , in Rio de Janeiro in 2013 and in Krakow in 2016 , the next goal of the World Youth Day Cross was Panama. The next big World Youth Day took place there in 2019 .
Original and copy
Due to the constant transport, the material is exposed to heavy loads and in 1996 the cross was in such bad condition that it was replaced by a copy.
The new cross was not unscathed either, and a repair was necessary during World Youth Day 2005 because the wind knocked the cross over on August 18th and one of the arms had broken off. It was reinforced by a metal part. When the cross was handed over on Palm Sunday 2006, the cross had been completely restored and the broken crossbeam replaced.
The original cross from 1984 with the crossbar of the first copy from 1996 is kept in the chapel of the youth center San Lorenzo a few hundred meters from St. Peter's Basilica and is regularly used for events outside the center. The copy is also kept in the youth center when it is not on the road.
inscription
The translation of the inscription on the World Youth Day Cross reads:
“My dear young people, at the conclusion of the Holy Year, I entrust to you the sign of this Jubilee Year: the Cross of Christ! Carry it throughout the world as a symbol of Christ's love for humanity, and announce to everyone that only in the death and resurrection of Christ can we find salvation and redemption. "
“My dear young people, at the end of the Holy Year, I am entrusting you with the sign of this Jubilee Year: the Cross of Christ! Carry it all over the world as a symbol of Christ's love for people and proclaim to everyone that we can only find salvation and redemption through the death and resurrection of Jesus. John Paul II, Easter 1984, conclusion of the Jubilee Year of Redemption "
There is a slightly different inscription on the original cross. There is talk of the actual sign ("il segno stesso", "the very sign", "le signe même" or "el mismo signo"). The text can also be found there in German and Polish.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d History of the Cross of the Holy Year of the Redemption. (No longer available online.) Centro San Lorenzo, archived from the original on August 25, 2013 ; accessed on April 15, 2013 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
