Benedict's 1st World Youth Day (WYD). Answering Hewitt.

Hugh's suggestion:

Perhaps RomanCatholicBlog or some other Catholic blog will collect the various reviews of Benedict's first foreign trip.

So here it goes (with updates as I find them):

First off, there are "News, Press reports, Documents" and other official statements and homilies.

More official documents--addresses, homilies, etc.--these all translated into English, from WYD. (HT: Hugh)

Vatican Radio has a collection of photos from the week.

In one of the most controversial statements from the week, Cardinal Christoph Schonborn

has boldly suggested that Pope Benedict's visit to Cologne for World Youth Day this week will mark a turning point of the history of Germany in particular and Europe in general.

For more of Schonborn's words, see the article "Pope Benedict Will Transform Europe, Cardinal Predicts."

Then there are:

Benedict and World Youth Day: Becoming Adults in Christ
by Kishore Jayabalan, Director of Istituto Acton

Pope Benedict XVI is back in the international media spotlight this week, gracing the covers of Time and Newsweek, as he makes his first trip outside of Italy, to Cologne, Germany for the 20th World Youth Day. That a Catholic youth gathering is now a
global event worthy of such attention is a testament to Pope John Paul II; now the trip is presented as a sort of “test” for Benedict.

and B16 At WYD Cologne
(Michelle Arnold)

When the new pope was announced, Catholic Answers staffers were crammed into the office's conference room eagerly watching the television reports of the event (and nearly blew the roof off with cheers when Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger was announced as Pope). In the hubbub that followed, I exclaimed that the upcoming World Youth Day was being held in Cologne, Germany, and a coworker commented that perhaps a positive spirituality is developing around World Youth Day.

Well, Pope Benedict XVI is now in Cologne, Germany ....

We must not forget Sandro at Chiesa. In "From Cologne to the Conquest of Europe: How the Muslim Brotherhood is Challenging the Pope," he offers his thoughts on the pope's then-upcoming meeting with Muslim leaders.

Then from Papabile:

To amuse myself, I went to Google News....

Searches resulted in:

+"world youth day" +gay 180 stories
+"world youth day" +abortion 176 stories
+"world youth day" +condoms 139 stories

+"world youth day" +eucharist 42 stories [which a couple days later was overtaken by beer which rocketed to 56 while the Eucharist was at 51]

+"world youth day" +beer 5 stories

+"world youth day" +ferret 1 story

Off the Record (Diogenes) at Catholic World News has quite a selection of responses to WYD.

They link to John L. Allen Jr. of National Catholic Reporter. Allen is keeping a "Correspondent's Notebook." I am not a big fan of some of his interpretations, but he has recognized (publically no less) some of his prior faults as a journalist, noting how his first book on then-Cardinal Ratzinger was not fair nor was it good journalism. Anyhow, he offers a somewhat different perspective.

Then he also has this report: "Do-it-yourself religion 'cannot ultimately help us,' pope tells youth. 'Preserve communion with the pope and the bishops,' Benedict says." Wherein Allen writes:

In his homily at the Mass concluding World Youth Day, Benedict challenged the crowd of one million gathered on the Marienfeld plain outside Cologne to submit to God, not as a denial of their freedom, but as an embrace of a truth that saves.

"Freedom is not simply about enjoying life in total autonomy, but rather about living by the measure of truth and goodness, so that we ourselves can become true and good," he said.

He took square aim at what is sometimes called "cafeteria Catholicism" -- the tendency of believers to pick and choose among church teachings, constructing their own system.

Here is an interview with Cardinal George Pell of Sydney (where WYD 2008 will be held, as was announced today).

Here is a forum run by Washington Post with John L. Allen, Jr. and readers.

L.A. Catholic has some thoughts/reflections worth reading, especially his "Tale of Two Cathedrals." A view of Cologne and Los Angeles. What a difference!

LifeSite reports that "World Youth Day Organizers Distance Themselves from Pro-Abortion UN Speaker."

Since LifeSiteNews.com broke the story of the pro-abortion United Nations representative Eveline Herfkens who was to speak at World Youth Day, there has been a flurry activity to protest the move. Numerous LifeSiteNews.com readers, Human Life International, and the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute lobbied Cardinals and World Youth Day organizers in Germany to put a stop to the scandal. (See the original LifeSiteNews.com story here: http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2005/aug/05080908.html )

Amy Welborn's Open Book has some good thoughts, posts, and especially photos from WYD.

Catholic journalist Tim Drake blogs from Cologne. He was on assignment for National Catholic Register and Faith and Family magazine. He has many posts and photos worth seeing, especially "Cologne Is Going to the Dogs."

And did you know that Baghdad got in on the spirit of WYD?

More than 1,000 Roman Catholic youths gathered in Baghdad to celebrate World Youth Day and ask for the pontiff's blessing "at this most difficult time for our country," the Vatican said Saturday.

Pope Benedict XVI, who is in Germany for the Catholic youth festival, received the Iraqi youths' message "with joy and commotion," the Vatican said.

Vaticanisti has good photos from WYD. Check out the second one on "I Must Decrease and He Must Increase." Now, that is a lot of people!

Vatican Watcher also has some good photos and links to events/news related to WYD.

Rocco at Whispers in the Loggia offers some concluding thoughts on the whole World Youth Day experience: "Last Words on Cologne."

The Ratzinger Fan Club blog, Against the Grain, has a collection of links dealing with WYD.

UPDATE:

Steve at Speculative Catholic is already thinking about WYD 2008 in Sydney, Australia. He suggests "having a get-together for bloggers." He calls it "Godblogging Sydney 2008."

Amy Welborn seems to like the idea and adds to it her desire to start "conversations with the Vatican Press Office about credentialing bloggers unassociated with the mainstream press - a WYD Blogger's Row." Good idea. They should read Hugh's book Blog to see the impact of such an idea.

Brandon A. Evans at The Criterion has concluding thoughts and a lot of photos. (HT: Amy Welborn)

The Belmont Club has a commentary on Benedict's speech to Muslim leaders. Wretchard writes:

Although the Pope's speech was delivered to Muslims, his real audience is inevitably going to be the West in general and Christians in particular. Realistically, Benedict's message will reach ordinary Muslims only at third hand in a heavily distorted way; it can hardly be expected to sway them. But the signal it sends to the West, at least to those who look up to him as a moral and religious leader, is that here is something we cannot look away from. Ambiguous though it may be, his message has run the PC blockade.

and closes with

Therefore, the Pope seems to say to the Muslims in the room, survival is in our hands and that means yours too.
"You guide Muslim believers and train them in the Islamic faith. Teaching is the vehicle through which ideas and convictions are transmitted. Words are highly influential in the education of the mind. You, therefore, have a great responsibility for the formation of the younger generation."

UPDATE:

Mark D. Roberts weighs in on the speech to Muslim leaders. He further plans to post thoughts on the pope's words to 800,000 youth at the Saturday vigil and 1,000,000 young people at Sunday Mass. (HT: Hugh)

UPDATE:

At National Review Online, Colleen Carroll Campbell writes that "World Youth Day was never just about Pope John Paul II." As important as the messenger was, and still is, "The Message Does Count."

UPDATE:

Even Pope Benedict XVI himself reflects on the events and significance of World Youth Day: "Benedict XVI Reflects on His Trip to Germany 'Young People Relaunched … the Message of Hope.'"

Looking for thoughts and reflections on the liturgies. Have heard some worrisome comments them.

For a selection of some of Ratzinger's great earlier writings (before he was pope), go here.

Will keep adding WYD thoughts/news/photo links as I find them. Send them to wperales@yahoo.com or post them in the comment section below.