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  World Youth Day 2005 for all  

[Lasr Update: 17.08.2005]

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Ökumenische Arbeitsgruppe Homosexuelle und Kirche (Homosexuals and Church)

World Youth Day for all - including gays and lesbians

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HuK information for the World Youth Day in compact form (2 pages DIN A 4, RTF Format, Word etc.) for Download: Here.


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In August 2005, the Roman Catholic Church invites young people worldwide for the "World Youth Day" to Cologne/Köln (August 11-15: "Meeting local churches" in dioceses throughout Germany, August 16-21: Central event in Cologne). For the World Youth Day, young people come to Cologne from many countries and from many different conditions of their lifes. Among them, there will be many young gays and lesbians. They bring memories of their experiences at home, but they also bring questions, and they want to meet other Christians. The Ecumenical Group Homosexuals and Church (HuK) invites all participants of the World Youth Day to talks, discussions, and to a celebration of the Holy Mass. The HuK can share its long experience with contributions to "Kirchentagen" and "Katholikentagen", as well as with a dialogue with official church representatives and groups. It is not the goal of the HuK to lament about events of the past, rather the HuK tries to tell the churches which gain they can expect if they explicitly welcome lesbians and gays.

Similary as it has been at other large church events, the HuK supplements the official program with its own events and actions. Similarly to other member groups of the European Forum of Lesbian and Gay Christian Groups, the HuK supports and encourages young lesbians and gays, such they may find their way, including their way within the church, self-confidently and in community with others.

Important Events

Important: Some events ar still being planned, dates and places may change. We suggest to visit this web site regularly, to see the last updates.

Events particularly planned for Gays, Lesbians and Bisexuals

Other Events

Contact

The HuK committee for the World Youth Day can be reached via the Email address wjt@huk.org.

What Others have said about the World Youth Day

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Initiative We Are Church - Youth:

The "World Youth Day For All" (http://www.wyd4all.org) is an open dialogue forum during the catholic World Youth Day, August 15-21, in Cologne. The "World Youth Day For All" intends that areas that are relevant for young people and "hot topics" of our time are discussed. The catholic World Youth Day is oriented towards the pope and the bishops and excludes critical topics and critical groups. Our "World Youth Day For All" therefore takes serious the offer that Pope John Paul II. once described as follows: "The church has much to say to young people, and young people have much to say to the church. This mutual dialogue must be open, clear, and courageous" (Apostolic Letter "Christifideles Laici" 1988). The World YouthDay For All is an initiative of We Are Church - Youth which is present in Cologne in the meeting point of We Are Church.

Markus Danuser, Cologne gay and lesbian council (KLuST)):

"It is important for all events, according to KLuST, that they follow a constructive, positive approach - without being non-critical. It is no longer sufficient to criticize the position of the Roman Catholic church hierarchy, and to use polemics to argue against it. Instead, we need a well-founded alternative to those forces that have, so far, prevented an adequate integration of gays and lesbians into the official image of men and women in the Roman Catholic Church. This is necessary if we want to really change something, and if we want to help those that suffer from a discrepancy between their personal belief and the position of their church."

Important links: