Dear Adrienne, I am grateful for how you often simplify a complicated world for me.

I was speculating why so many young attended World Youth Day. There seemed to be lots of reasons, including the following:

All my friends are going.

There are lots of fun things to do there.

It is a chance to get away from home.

My parents made me.

I am a young Catholic and it will reinforce my faith.

It sure beats working.

I've never been to Canada.

I enjoy travel.

Of course, you put it more simply: “You get to see the Pope and be with lots of other kids who have faith.”

So why do kids want to see the Pope, Adrienne?

“Because he is the most important person in the world.”

Why?

“Because he is the head of the Catholic Church and he has helped to convert lots of people and changed their lives.”

Anything else?

“Well, Dad, he is the holiest man in the world, you know.”

Well … you gotta be impressed by the wisdom of 10-year-olds and the charisma of the Pope.

Frankly, logic tells me that an elderly man in poor health, barely able to hobble from his airplane, shouldn't be a charismatic figure. But despite his bodily woes, and with the weight of the world on his shoulders, young people are drawn to him.

He may have trouble walking and talking. He may need help reading his speeches. But he obviously has no difficulty believing and loving. And people of all ages, nationalities and faiths can sense his faith, hope and charity.

Letters to My Children

Remember the last Star Wars movie we saw? (It was either the fifth or second one, depending on how you count.) With all due respect to the burgeoning beauty of Natalie Portman, I thought the cutest character was Yoda — especially when he did battle in the cave with the light saber, flying about in defiance of his shriveled and diminutive physique. It was amazing that such a little, old guy could so gloriously battle evil.

Of course, Yoda depended on the magical powers of “The Force” to accomplish his feats. And at the end of the day, he isn't real.

On the other hand, despite being of increasingly feeble physical presence — and a distinct inability to fly about with a light saber in a cave — the Pope continues to accomplish amazing feats. He is old and bent like Yoda, although lacking the green skin, hairy ears and reverse syntax.

But unlike Yoda, the Pope is real, a tangible symbol of faith, a continued beacon to the world of faith and love.

Frankly, there aren't many individuals who could draw a crowd of hundreds of thousands of young people, bring them to hushed silence, keep them on the verge of tears, hanging on his every world.

Elvis couldn't do it, dead or alive. Not Britney Spears, Eminem or Bono.

We live in a world that worships youth and beauty, but our glorious youth flock to catch a glimpse of a man of age and inner beauty. You can sense that he is our greatest living guide to the things of this world and the next that really matter. And like the other saint-in-waiting who has passed the test of this world — Mother Teresa — his inability to win a beauty contest isn't a handicap. Love is more attractive than beauty, and the Pope loves.

You've told me in a simple way why young people wanted to go to World Youth Day: they wanted to see the Pope. So I'll tell you why the Pope wanted to go to World Youth Day and will continue traveling the world.

He wants to see us, too.

Love, Dad

Jim Fair writes from Chicago.