XX WYD – PILGRIMS OF PEACE AND UNITY. Meeting for Catholic Action Young Members •Köln, 17 August 2005

---

Dear Catholic Action Youth,

I send you my greetings and best wishes at this very special time when our faith and the fact of our being a Church can be so strongly felt.
You have come from all parts of the world, bringing with you your queries, anxieties and projects, exactly like the Magi, who came from afar, led by a small light, which made them hope that the Light would show itself in front of them.
As you prepare for the celebration which will be the climax of your meeting, you will all remember the Word of God on which your catechises was based and which you have gone deeply into during the dialogues you had among yourselves and with your Pastors. You will also think of the meeting with our Holy Father Benedict XVI and the memories of other WYD which for so many young people were occasions during which they made important choices for their future. From this
celebration you will go back to your Churches and take with you the joy which comes from your faith; your resolution to uphold the Truth which gives sense to your everyday life; your commitment to make the Gospel echo to the farthest parts of the earth, with all the enthusiasm so typical of young people and so necessary today in the work of EvangelizationI would like to thank you for accepting the invitation, extended to you by CA, to meet in this church so as to confirm and declare to the Church the importance which CA has, even for young people, and your willingness to commit yourselves to live as Christians according to the spirit and choices of Catholic Action May your testimony help to give an ever youthful image of Catholic Action, which is such an important experience in the Church,
• because of the holiness which has always been and continues to be its characteristic;
• because of the joy, experienced in the carrying out of a mission, which, in everyday life makes one discover the beauty of a life lived in union with the Lord and His Gospel;
• because of the community service which is given wholeheartedly as if given to ones own family.

Lay Christians and especially you, young people, all wish and hope for peace in the world. You crave for a world where fraternity, justice, solidarity and freedom prevail so that every woman and every man might enjoy the dignity of being the son of God. Thus our longing for peace, joined to that of others belonging to whichever religion, race or country, may bring about that civilization of love, which, as we fully know, only can bring about true peace. In order to pray for peace, to show our willingness to commit ourselves to work for peace and to express our wish to open the way for dialogue and fraternity, we are fixing an appointment to meet in Jerusalem on 1st January 2007 so as to be pilgrims of peace in the land where Christ gave his life on Calvary so that the peace, announced by the angels, could reach all men of good will. I sincerely wish you a very enriching experience during these coming days and hope to “see you all again in Jerusalem”.

Rome, 9th August 2005 – Saint Edith Stein