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POPE-LUNCH Aug-19-2005 (610 words) With photos. xxxi
Young people find pope disarming, intelligent, interested in them
By John Thavis
Catholic News Service
COLOGNE, Germany (CNS) -- Over omelets and apple strudel, 12 young people from six continents discussed life and faith with a relaxed Pope Benedict XVI.
They found him disarmingly open-minded, knowledgeable about their home countries and, above all, interested in them as individuals.
With the pope doing much of the translating, the World Youth Day representatives sat down for lunch with the 78-year-old pontiff Aug. 19 in Cologne, where some 800,000 youths were preparing to join in weekend events with the pope.
The close-up encounter left the young people momentarily awestruck, a feeling that quickly passed, they told a press conference later in the day.
"When they brought the pope fish and he said he'd rather have an omelet like the rest of us, you could see he was just another human being," said Anna Herbst, an 18-year-old German.
Lubica Javonovic, a 19-year-old from Australia, said that when the pope walked into the room "it was like heaven touching earth."
"I wanted to give him a big hug -- but then again, we had to be respectful," she said.
There were no hugs, no songs and no dancing like the similar luncheon at World Youth Day in Toronto three years ago with Pope John Paul II. The young people noticed the difference, but felt Pope Benedict showed his personal interest in another way.
"We saw John Paul II a lot on camera. He was charismatic and would give you a hug. This pope has another way of being close to you and showing his interest in you," said Veronique Rondeau, a 23-year-old student from Montreal.
Rondeau said she had expected to meet a "strict" pope. Instead, she said she found someone who asked questions of each of them, reflected on their opinions and made a lot of eye contact.
"I represent a continent, but I felt he was interested in me," she said.
The pope also impressed them with his knowledge and his linguistic skills. He spoke German, French, English and Spanish during the hourlong luncheon.
When a young woman from Republic of Congo said where she was from, the pope inquired about the political problems in the country. To a Chilean youth, the pope recalled his several trips to the country.
When the young people asked the pope how he felt when he first was elected, he told them he was amazed to walk out onto the balcony and see the huge crowd and the global interest.
He also was asked if he had any dreams as a young child, which prompted the pontiff to reflect on the cultural differences between the "more rational" Germany and other countries. He said that as a youth he did not spend much time trying to analyze his feelings.
As the group chatted and sipped white wine, the pope periodically brought the conversation back to the faith.
"He insisted that we have a personal relationship with Jesus," said Johny Bassous of Bethlehem, West Bank. "He spoke about our education and said theoretical knowledge was not enough, that we needed to put God at the center of our lives."
The pope gave the young people medals, and some brought gifts for the pope. Yunju Rosa Lee of Taiwan, 21, left the pontiff a compact disc of Chinese religious songs.
"I would like him to listen to how we praise the Lord," she said.
After praying in Latin following the meal, the group broke up. Asked whether the encounter would make a difference in their lives, German Klaus Langenstuck said: "I can't answer that right now. We'll have to see what happens in the future."
END
Copyright (c) 2005 Catholic News Service/USCCB. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed.
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