Benedict Seeks to Inspire Young

They slept in a dew-soaked field, packed head to toe, and awoke Sunday under heavy gray skies to hear Pope Benedict XVI urge his youthful followers to live a life of faith and work to spread it.

An estimated million pilgrims from across the world attended Benedict’s open-air Mass, culminating weeklong World Youth Day celebrations and the new pontiff’s international debut.

Freedom granted by God “is not simply about enjoying life in total autonomy, but rather about living by the measure of truth and goodness, so that we ourselves can become true and good,” he told the crowd, offering the central moral prescription of his four-day appearance here. “This gesture is necessary even if initially our yearning for freedom makes us inclined to resist it.”

The slightly soggy crowd applauded. After a cold night and dark morning, the sun burst through as Benedict started to speak from a gentle hill overlooking the masses, who cuddled in sleeping bags and waved flags of every stripe, star and color.

World Youth Day was started 20 years ago by John Paul II, and the new pope’s presence was seen as a test of his ability to charm the crowds and to achieve his broader agenda of reaching out to other faiths, promoting dialogue and saving souls.

As a German-born pope coming home, he faced especially large expectations as well as the dark chapters of World War II.

Benedict had said that his goal here would be to spark “a new impulse” in the faith and to show “how beautiful it is to be a Christian.” Whether he succeeded remains to be seen.

Although he did not appear to exhibit the magical exuberance of his charismatic predecessor, Benedict did connect to many people on individual levels and deftly handled difficult issues, including meetings with Jews and Muslims that were both symbolic and substantive.

At every step, however, he emphasized the importance of Christian identity.

Lamenting a “strange forgetfulness of God” in modern society, Benedict cautioned Sunday that religion could not be a “consumer product.”

“Religion constructed on a ‘do-it-yourself’ basis cannot ultimately help us,” he said. “Anyone who has discovered Christ must lead others to him. A great joy cannot be kept to oneself.”

Sunday’s Mass was held on the outskirts of Cologne at Marienfeld, or Mary’s Field, a stretch of land once used to strip-mine coal.

The youths gathered under the auspices of lay groups, churches, and dioceses. The conservative Opus Dei, a personal prelature of the church, was especially well-represented this year.

The deluge of young people transformed this historic city on the Rhine into a gigantic party and camp-out. Everywhere, groups of 20 to 30 youths snaked in conga lines, loaded with backpacks and bedrolls, chanting slogans or strumming guitars and singing Christian folk songs.

Although some youths were here for the fun of it, many sought a religious meaning. For them, seeing so many people sharing the same faith and eager to display it made the church more accessible and offered encouragement.

Shadi Hindaileh, a Palestinian from the West Bank city of Ramallah, crossed the Jordan River to get here. He stood Sunday morning in Marienfeld awaiting the pope’s blessing. Wrapped in a Palestinian flag and checkered kaffiyeh, he said meeting so many like-minded Christians had reaffirmed his turn to a more pious life.

“This doesn’t have an effect on everybody,” said Hindaileh, 25. “Not everybody comes for prayer. Some people come just to meet other people and hang out. I used to be like any ordinary person my age, going along with the crowd. Now I am more strict with myself. I attend church all the time and lead a youth group.”

John Sikorski, 20, a junior at the University of Notre Dame from Park City, Utah, said World Youth Day for him was a life-changing experience.

“It gives greater courage to me to stand up for my faith, to not be ashamed, to share my faith with others,” he said in an interview before Sunday’s ceremony. “Especially in a culture that doesn’t support what we do as Catholics ... with gay marriage, abortion, consumerism ... and in a society that sometimes thinks Catholicism is archaic and outdated.

“This says we are not alone,” he said.

“Seeing so many people, all loving God, it changes you, it really has an impact,” said Cynthia Enriquez, 19, of La Puente, near Los Angeles. Like many, she originally made plans months ago to come here expecting to see John Paul, and was a little disappointed. But, she said, it was “breathtaking” nevertheless to see Benedict.

Liguo Li, 22, part of a group of Chinese living in Paris who spent the night in the grass and mud, put it simply: “Here, we can hear the voice of God.”

Undoubtedly, Benedict was acutely aware that he was being compared, at every turn, with John Paul. He held to his rather intellectual approach to religion; at times, he appeared uncomfortable before crowds, and he sometimes spoke so softly he could not be heard.

Twelve youths who were selected to have lunch with the pope Friday said, in contrast to John Paul, Benedict did not hug. Yet, they said, they found him taking personal interest in each of them, asking questions, switching languages.

Top aides said the pope was forging his own style and should not be compared with John Paul, who reigned for 27 years, longer than many attending World Youth Day had been alive.

“There were 12 apostles, and each had his own characteristics; there have been 264 popes, all also different, some more extroverted, some more reflective,” said Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the No. 2 official at the Vatican, which doesn’t include one short-reigning pope in its total.

“There are many different ways of communicating,” chief Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said.

Like his predecessor, Benedict made a point of delivering his speeches and homilies Sunday in several languages, including Tagalog and Swahili.

“This is something that every teen needs to go through,” said Mai Ha, 17, a senior at La Quinta High School of Westminster. She was part of a group of Vietnamese Americans from Orange County who hoisted a huge American flag and a carefully painted Vietnamese one. “This helps you find your faith and brings you closer to Catholics around the world.”

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Times staff writer Christian Retzlaff contributed to this report.