The event will be held January 18 to 22. Over 3 thousand youth leaders are expected from all over India. The meeting will end with a march for peace. The "Youth Cross", a symbol of Christ's love, has traveled 2 thousand kilometers.
Mumbai (AsiaNews) - The next national meeting of young Indian Catholics will be held in Mangalore January 18 to 22. This is the 10th edition of the National Youth Convention (NYC), and for the first time the youth event will be held in the Indian state of Karnataka.
According to organizers, the event will have record numbers. It is estimated that more than 3 thousand youth leaders will come from all over the country and at least 10 thousand are expected for the great march for peace, the event that will close the Convention.
The event is held every three years, with the aim of gathering young leaders, directors of social programs and the animators from the 171 dioceses in India. The theme of this edition is "Touched by Jesus; Walking on his way". Card. Baselios Cleemis, president of the Indian Bishops' Conference (CBCI), Card. George Allencherry, major archbishop of Ernakulam, and Card. Oswald Gracias, archbishop of Mumbai and president of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences (FABC) will inaugurate the event.
Presenting the logo, Msgr. Aloysius Paul D'Souza, Bishop of Mangalore, explained the objectives of the event: "Addressing the issues of development of the children, their leadership in the socio-political environment and the promotion through the media." Another purpose, the bishop added, "is to develop the awareness of environmental preservation and the importance in contributing to national integrity through workshops, discussions, motivational dialogue and cultural exchanges."
The meeting has been a year in preparation. The NYC Cross, the "Youth Cross" has been brought on a pilgrimage through the streets of Karnataka, touching various stages. Starting in April from the Archdiocese of Bangalore, the cross has traveled 2 thousand kilometers. It is the symbolic representation of Christ's love for humanity and has been traveling across India since 1995, since it was erected in Ernakulam, Kerala, on the occasion of the third edition of the youth convention.