VATICAN CITY — Pope John Paul II's message for the next World Youth Day, to be held in Cologne, Germany, is a heartfelt plea for young people to turn away from idolatry and embrace the true God through the worship of Christ.

World Youth Day will take place in August 2005, during the Year of the Eucharist that will begin with the Oct. 10-17 International Eucharistic Congress in Guadalajara, Mexico.

In his Aug. 26 message, released a year ahead of the event to enable young people to spiritually prepare themselves, the Pope calls on youth to be “worshippers of the only true God, giving him pride of place in your lives.”

John Paul continues: “My dear young people, do not yield to false illusions and passing fads which so frequently leave behind a tragic spiritual vacuum. Reject the seduction of wealth, consumerism and the subtle violence sometimes used in the mass media.

“Worship Christ,” the Holy Father says. “He is the rock on which to build your future and a world of greater justice and solidarity.”

And the Holy Father advocates the imitation of the spirit of the Magi who set out “boldly along unknown paths on a long and by no means easy journey” but who “did not hesitate to leave everything behind to follow the star that they had seen in the East.”

“It's a very beautiful message as it compares young people with the Three Kings,” said Father Francis Kohn, head of the Vatican's youth section. “The Magi are searching for truth, and the message is telling young people that it is possible for them to do so, too.”

Cologne has a special history concerning the Magi. Their relics are believed to have been transferred from Constantinople, possibly late in the fifth century, to Milan and to Cologne Cathedral in the 12th century where they have been housed since in a gold shrine built on the high altar.

“We are very glad that the Pope has pointed out the rich tradition of the Three Magi,” said Matthias Kopp, spokesman for World Youth Day 2005. “It's important that the Pope engages all young people in starting their pilgrimage now.”

For Father Kohn, the emphasis on worshipping Christ in the Eucharist is particularly significant because of the signs of the renewal in Eucharistic adoration in the U.S. and Europe. It's also important for this generation to “rediscover the sacraments, the Eucharist in particular,” he said.

Another person who is hoping the message's emphasis on worship will attract youth is Father Terry Quelquejay, chaplain of Rome's Emmanuel School. The school's mission is to help young adults to lead authentically Christian lives.

Said Father Quelquejay, “I hope the adoration theme of the message will draw more young people to Eucharistic adoration and to discover what it means.”

Another noteworthy feature of the World Youth Day message is John Paul's explicit appeal to non-Christians. “This is the first time that the Pope says that the world is not just for Christians and the baptized,” said Father Kohn, who works at the Pontifical Council for the Laity. “He's saying there is a possibility for every person, every soul to have a great desire to find truth and peace.”

As exemplary models of those who have made that intellectual journey, the Holy Father refers to the “Saints of Cologne” who fully committed themselves to search for the truth. In particular, he highlights St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross —otherwise known as Edith Stein — and St. Albert the Great.

St. Teresa was an atheist of Jewish descent who converted to Catholicism through her study and knowledge of philosophy and later joined the Carmelites in Cologne. Another resident of the city for many years, medieval scholar St. Albert the Great was the teacher of St. Thomas Aquinas and is patron of the natural sciences.

The Pope emphasized that both saints demonstrated how faith and reason are linked and seek each other. “It's important that this generation understand this,” Father Kohn said. “They show that there is the possibility to find Jesus Christ through a human, rational process, and so become committed (to the faith).”

Preparations for World Youth Day begin in earnest this month within youth committees of the world's bishops' conferences, especially in Germany. The Vatican is working closely with the committees and is preparing to issue invitations to the world's bishops. In 2002, 550 bishops attended Toronto's World Youth Day, and even more are expected next year.

Cologne is gearing up for a gathering of more than 800,000 young people in an event unprecedented in Germany, both in the secular world and in the Church.

“It's always a big event,” Father Kohn said. “It's an opportunity to give a new image to the world of a Church that is always young and near to people amid the world's difficulties.” He called the occasion a “great possibility for renewal in the German Church.”

Matthias Kopp agreed: “We hope that after WYD, Germany's youth will hold on to a new idea of faith and spirituality.”

Edward Pentin writes from Rome.