Madrid Readies for WYD 2011

Posted by Tim Drake

Friday, June 12, 2009 1:21 PM

Spanish WYD pilgrims in Sydney react to the news of 2011's WYD in Madrid (Photo by Tim Drake)

Spanish Ambassador to the Holy See, Francisco Vázquez Vázquez, reports that the government of Spain is actively supporting the organizational efforts for World Youth Day 2011.

Scheduled for August 2011, an official Spanish WYD website has been created for the next WYD to be held in Madrid. Spain expects that the international event may draw as many as 1.5 million youth.

In a press conference held Tuesday at the embassy, Ambassador Vázquez noted that the government led by Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero has already begun to mobilize for the event. The ambassador reported that last week there was an organizational meeting between the Spanish vice president, María Teresa Fernández de la Vega, and the archbishop of Madrid, Cardinal Antonio María Rouco Varela.

Ambassador Vázquez speculated that while in Spain, Pope Benedict XVI may travel to Santiago de Compostela, the pilgrimage site featuring the tomb of St. James the Apostle.

Filed under spain, world youth day, wyd 2011