Father Raymond J. de Souza

Ten years ago, Blessed John Paul II was in Toronto for the World Youth Day, the largest single religious event in Canadian history. Those happy days on the streets of Toronto now stand out in ever starker relief to other mass gatherings – notably the G20 summit, which descended into hostility, violence, abuse of police power and a staggering bill for all the unpleasantness. World Youth Day (WYD) was what other great international gatherings only pretend to be, namely authentic exchanges between ordinary people from various nations and cultures.