The 1991

World Youth Day World Youth Day (WYD) is an event for young people organized by the Catholic Church that was initiated by Pope John Paul II in 1985, sometimes nicknamed in later years as the "Catholic Woodstock". Its concept has been influenced by the Light-L ...

( pl, Światowe Dni Młodzieży 1991) was held on 10–15 August 1991 in

Jasna Góra Jasna may refer to: Places * Jasna, a village in Poland * Jasná, a village and ski resort in Slovakia Other uses * Jasna (given name), a Slavic female given name * JASNA, the Jane Austen Society of North America See also * Yasna Yasna (;

in Częstochowa,

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

. The choice of another European city after

Santiago de Compostela Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, in northwestern Spain. The city has its origin in the shrine of Saint James the Great, now the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, as the destination of the Way of S ...

meant that, so far unique, two consecutive world days were held in the " old continent". It was celebrated in the Pope's native country. The theme can be summarized in the sentences ''You have received a spirit of sonship'' and ''It is for freedom that Christ has set us free''. 1.6 million people gathered on the final Mass.

Preparation

In the Message for the

, announced on 15 August 1990 in the

Vatican Vatican may refer to: Vatican City, the city-state ruled by the pope in Rome, including St. Peter's Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museum The Holy See * The Holy See, the governing body of the Catholic Church and sovereign entity recognized ...

, John Paul II reminded the role of the Holy Spirit in Christian life. The Pope drew attention to the essence of true freedom and responsibility of Christians towards the world. He invited young people to come to the sanctuary of the

Black Madonna The term ''Black Madonna'' or ''Black Virgin'' tends to refer to statues or paintings in Western Christendom of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Infant Jesus, where both figures are depicted with dark skin. The Black Madonna can be found both ...

at Jasna Góra. The choice of the Polish city of Czestochowa had a strong symbolic value: It is the site of a great sanctuary, to which even

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

was very devoted, besides, the city was in Poland, where the Pope was born, so it was an opportunity to pay tribute to all those killed during the war and the Soviet regime.

Theme

The theme chosen by Pope John Paul II from these days is the eighth chapter of the Epistle to the Romans, verse 15: "You have received a spirit of children."

Hymn

The hymn of the World Day chosen for this year is called Abba Ojcze, was composed of Slawomir Scychowiak, Mario Tomassi Tamoasso and Sergio Tomassi Tamoasso; and its anthem was composed by Jan Góra and Jacek Sykulski.

Program

The event was held as part of the Pope's apostolic visit in

and

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the ...

celebrated 13 to 20, 1991. In particular, the WYD lasted five days, the first three with catechesis, as the vigil at the Mass in the Shrine of Jasna Góra for the pilgrims. For the first time in the history of the world, the number of participants exceeded one million: these were, in fact, according to various estimates, between 1,500,000 and 1,800,000. It beat the previous record of WYD Buenos Aires in 1987. These pilgrims came from 75 countries. For the first time, young people from the

Warsaw Pact The Warsaw Pact (WP) or Treaty of Warsaw, formally the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance, was a collective defense treaty signed in Warsaw, Poland, between the Soviet Union and seven other Eastern Bloc socialist repub ...

countries could participate. Pope John Paul II used Esperanto to address young people present at Mount Hela at the opening and closing of WYD.

References

External links

* * https://www.vatican.va/gmg/years/gmg_1991_fr.html {{World Youth Day

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phi ...

Catholic Church in Poland 1991 in Poland August 1991 events 1991 in Christianity Pope John Paul II Częstochowa Foreign trips by popes August 1991 events in Europe