Date January 10–15, 1995 | Location Manila, Philippines | |
Type Religious, youth festival Theme As the Father sent me, so am I sending you (Jn 20:21) | ||
World Youth Day 1995 (Filipino: Pandaigdigang Araw ng Kabataan 1995) was a Catholic youth festival that took place from January 10–15, 1995 in Manila, Philippines. It was the first time for an Asian country to host the event. Pope John Paul II presided over the event, marking his second trip to the country as Pope after his visit in 1981.
Contents
Events
A week before the celebration of the World Youth Day proper, two representatives from each of countries all over the world gathered for an International Youth Forum (IYF) at the University of Santo Tomas. The Philippines sent eight representatives, while others were from the different Catholic religious youth organizations and campuses. These were the selected youth leaders and coordinators. during their five-day stay in UST, representatives were grouped and discussed issues and concerns laid out by the Episcopal Commission on Youth, on topics set months before.
The IYF was also a venue wherein few from these selected youth representative had able to have a short talk with the Pope. There was also a Mass where some youths directly received Communion from the Pope. Youth pilgrims gathered from different parts of the world to worship and talk together. Different activities were held, including a traditional Barrio Fiesta, while Masses were celebrated every day in most parishes throughout the Philippines.
The closing Mass, held at Luneta Park, was estimated to have been attended by more than 5 million people, the second-largest papal gathering in history.
This was Pope John Paul II's last visit to the Philippines, as his scheduled return for the World Meeting of Families in January 2003 fell through due to his health.
Ramzi Yousef attempted to assassinate the Pope in the Bojinka Plot, but the plan was discovered four days earlier and Yousef fled to Pakistan.
Official song
The official song for World Youth Day 1995 was released in 1994, titled "Tell The World of His Love".
Delegations
Pilgrims at World Youth Day 1995 represented the following countries: