World Youth Day 1993

The 1993 World Youth Day was held on August 10–15, 1993 in Denver, Colorado. It was the first World Youth Day held in either North America or an English-speaking nation.

World Youth Day 1993
DateAugust 10, 1993 (1993-08-10) – August 15, 1993 (1993-08-15)
LocationDenver, Colorado, United States
Coordinates39°45′43″N 104°52′52″W
TypeYouth festival
ThemeI came that they might have life, and have it to the full. (Jn 10:10)
Organised byCatholic Church
ParticipantsPope John Paul II
Previous1991 Częstochowa
Next1995 Manila
Websitehttps://www.vatican.va/gmg/years/gmg_1993_sp.html
President Bill Clinton with Pope John Paul II on 12 August 1993 in Denver.

The World Youth Day is an event for young people organized by the Roman Catholic Church. It is celebrated every two to three years at different locations.

Theme

The theme chosen by Pope John Paul II for these days is taken from the tenth chapter of the Gospel of John (Jn 10:10): I came that they might have life, and have it to the full.

Events

The event took place in the context of the pope's sixtieth apostolic journey, on which, before reaching Denver, he had stopped in Jamaica and Mexico. The journey lasted from August 9–16, 1993.

The program included a Stations of the Cross among the host city's skyscrapers; the vigil and final Mass took place inside Cherry Creek State Park, near the city of Aurora, about fifteen miles from downtown Denver. Between half a million and one million young people from one hundred nations participated in the various events that took place during the five calendar days of the event.[1][2]

Polemics

The event was criticized on the Catholic Television station EWTN. In a 1993 episode of Mother Angelica Live, Mother Angelica harshly criticized a mimed re-enactment of the Stations of the Cross which was attended by Pope John Paul II. Mother Angelica was particularly upset that a woman was playing Jesus.[3] Archbishop Rembert Weakland of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee called Mother Angelica's comments "one of the most disgraceful, un-Christian, offensive, and divisive diatribes I have ever heard."[4] Mother Angelica responded by saying, "He didn't think a woman playing Jesus was offensive? He can go put his head in the back toilet as far as I am concerned!"[5] It also found criticism by a youth chaperone, Joel Derifield, when complications with organization left groups stranded and separated without any supplies, food, or water for many hours.

References
  1. [A success story goes around the world: the history of the World Youth Days, from wyt2005.de Filed on 11 December 2007 in the Internet Archive.]
  2. [Source ANSA, reported in The Revolution in a Day, Pino Vicentini, Avvenire, Friday 11 August 2000]
  3. Mother Angelica WYD 1993
  4. Archbishop Weakland calls Mother Angelica's statements 'disgraceful.' - Aug 14, 1993 telecast denouncing Catholic liberalism | National Catholic Reporter | Find Articles at BNET
  5. Raymond Arroyo, Mother Angelica: the Remarkable Story of a Nun, Her Nerve and a Network of Miracles. (pp. 243-244)
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