Pope John Paul II evoked tears and cheers Thursday afternoon as he urged a multitude of young Catholics to follow the Beatitudes that Christ gave in the Sermon on the Mount as guiding signs on the road to happiness.
More than 200,000 strong - and possibly as large as 400,000, according to organizers - the vast, enthusiastic crowd interrupted the pontiff several times with applause, whooping and chanting.
The 82-year-old pope, speaking with a slurred but stronger voice than he has in public appearances elsewhere this year, responded by diverging from his prepared English and French text to give extemporaneous greetings in Spanish and Italian.
Although his features often appear rigid, a symptom of Parkinson's disease, John Paul clearly smiled at the crowd as many chanted, "John Paul II, we love you." And, seeming to draw energy from the youthfulness around him, he straightened from his stoop-shouldered posture and briefly sat erect after being assisted to his chair.
"Young people of Canada, of America and of every part of the world," John Paul said. "By looking at Jesus you will learn what it means to be poor in spirit, meek and merciful; what it means to seek justice, to be pure in heart, to be peacemakers.
"With your gaze set firmly on him, you will discover the path of forgiveness and reconciliation in a world often laid waste by violence and terror. Last year we saw with dramatic clarity the tragic face of human malice. We saw what happens when hatred, sin and death take command.
"But today, Jesus' voice resounds in the midst of our gathering. His is a voice of life, of hope, of forgiveness; a voice of justice and of peace. Let us listen to this voice."
More than 200,000 people had registered for the six-day World Youth Day celebration - less than the 350,000 that had been projected. But far more than the registered participants were at Toronto's lakefront Thursday - including people with one-day passes and members of the general public who watched the ceremony on big-screen televisions in nearby parks.
The theme of this year's event comes from the Gospel of Matthew, "You are the salt of the earth . . . the light of the world." John Paul drew from that, telling those gathered that the church confidently expects them to be people of the Beatitudes.
"Today, he (Jesus) calls you to be the salt and light of the world, to choose goodness, to live in justice, to become instruments of love and peace."
The prayerful ceremony included a procession of young people from all of the participating nations dressed in their national costumes, carrying their flags on stage. The scene at the Exposition Place grounds looked like a huge United Nations assembly as hundreds of people in the crowd waved flags and banners.
The ceremony ended with the singing of "Light of the World," the gathering's theme song. It proclaims that, with Christ as their light, the youth can scatter the world's darkness.
A galvanizing message for a crowd with many people already pumped up by two days of activities and inspired by watching the pontiff arrive in his glass-enclosed "popemobile."
"We love you!" shouted Tanya Van Buggenhout, 23, of Ottawa as the pope's vehicle passed her.
"When I see him, he just brings me to tears, the sacrifice he makes to be with us," she said afterward.
"I feel wonderful, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the man who can gather all these people," said Victor Perl, 20, a Chilean and member of the Schoenstatt Movement who visited Milwaukee last week on a group pilgrimage to Toronto.
Hillary Gutchess, 14, of Cortland, N.Y., still was periodically breaking into tears several minutes after the pope's vehicle passed her. "It was awesome," she said. "This is the most wonderful thing in the world. He's the vicar of Christ."
The view from Marquette
A chance to see the pope was a big factor in Dan Janasik, 23, deciding to come with a group of about 80 Marquette University students. What is the pope's appeal to him?
"Fearless faith," said Janasik, of New Berlin, who graduated this spring from Marquette. "He's a man who has had tremendous courage throughout his life. He grew up during the Nazi occupation of Poland, did underground seminary studies and was a priest for many, many years in Communist Poland.
"And he was always, always speaking out for religious freedom and the dignity of the human person. . . .
"I'm very excited to see him. He's kind of my personal hero. I'm Polish, and he's Polish. He's just somebody I've always kind of looked up to. Just his living the Christian faith as authentically as possible, and he does that and, he's so great a role model."
Marquette student Lora Helm, 19, of Greenfield agreed.
"The pope is definitely a big attraction to come, but we see God in him," said Helm, who is majoring in theology and secondary education. "We see Christ in his eyes. He's very holy. . . . You look at his picture and he's so frail, but if you look into his eyes, he's so youthful at heart. You can just see how happy he is, how much he really loves all of the people."
John Bruggeman, 22, a Marquette senior from Sioux Falls, S.D., has been sending daily reports about the group's experiences to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which is posting them on its Web site, www.usccb.org.
"I just think it's amazing for a guy his age, how he can be so in tune with the youth of the world and bring so much excitement," Bruggeman said.
A global village
More than anything, the scene Thursday evoked an overwhelming sense of a global gathering.
"It's just amazing," said Helm, the Marquette student. "Everybody from around the world is coming to share their faith."
Marveling at the crowd, Ana Hernandez, 19, a student from Spain, said: "In our country, we feel like we are alone in the church. Young people in Spain are not interested in religion. We need to understand that many young people in the world are Catholic."
Alepo Amal Habelrih, 30, of Syria was sitting within about 100 yards of the main stage where the pope appeared. She said she came to see the pope, but she also loved meeting so many people from other countries.
Said Loubna Marsho, 20, who was born in Syria and now lives in Montreal: "I love that we are together with all of the world. It's good to see other Christians in the world and make friends."