THE World Youth Day Cross and Icon took centrestage at a reception attended by political and religious leaders at Queensland Parliament House on August 23.
Archbishop John Bathersby of Brisbane was among guests of Premier Peter Beattie at the reception.
Archbishop Bathersby addressed the crowd that also included Anglican Archbishop Phillip Aspinall of Brisbane, who is Anglican Primate of Australia.
Archbishop Bathersby thanked Mr Beattie for the reception.
“Not only do I thank you, Premier, for the generosity of your gesture, but I thank all those present this afternoon who have come along to support your initiative by their presence, especially the young people who are with us this afternoon,” he said.
“At a time when, as religious leaders, we struggle for various reasons to get our message across, your gesture and the people’s response to that gesture, fills us with the deepest gratitude, comfort and hope.”
Other major events in Brisbane archdiocese in the past week have included an all-night vigil in St Stephen’s Cathedral which started on August 24, a walk up Mt Coot-tha for a morning prayer service on August 25 and an ecumenical Celebration of Hope at Brisbane City Hall that night.
Also on August 25, Cleveland parish priest Fr Frank O’Dea led the WYD Cross “overseas” to Stradbroke Island.
The JCI is covering Australia in the lead-up to World Youth Day 2008 (WYD08) in Sydney next July.
It was in Brisbane archdiocese from August 17-29 before a handover of the Cross and Icon to Rockhampton diocese at Childers.
