Frances Saunders: World Youth Day was uplifting, should have been front-page news
Readers were again deprived of very positive, uplifting news when there was such poor coverage of World Youth Day 2016 a few weeks ago. From over 150 countries an estimated 200,000 young people came to greet and be with Pope Francis for six days in Krakow, Poland, for prayers, activities, rallies and holy music. The pope comforted patients in a childrens hospital, made a visit to Aushwitz concentraiton camp (the photo in the Sun-Star did not identify the visit in the context of WYD), heard confessions and celebrated mass for the exuberant thousands. His message was to do the work each receives from God, which he said as he asked them to hold hands with one another. He exhorted them to “build bridges, not walls.”
When violence is rampant a peaceful, prayerful event like World Youth Day should have been front-page news.
Frances Saunders, Merced
This story was originally published August 16, 2016 at 12:14 PM with the headline "Frances Saunders: World Youth Day was uplifting, should have been front-page news."