Condoms4Life and the World Youth Day 4 All Coalition.CATHOLIC WORLD YOUTH Day is a jamboree that takes place every three years or so, attracting hundreds of thousands of young Catholics to its host city. August 16-21, 2005, the 20th Catholic World Youth Day was held in Cologne, Germany, where Pope Benedict XVI  Editing of this page by unregistered or newly registered users is currently disabled due to vandalism. made his first major
public appearance.
The World Youth Day 4 All Coalition (WYD a. 1. Wide. 4All), a group comprised of 45 young people from 16 countries, came together to support and promote an agenda of church reform, sexual and reproductive health and rights and youth activism. Member organizations included Catholics for a Free Choice Catholics for a Free Choice (CFFC) is a pro-choice political organization whose founders hold the belief that "the Catholic tradition supports a woman's moral and legal right to follow her conscience in matters of sexuality and reproductive health. , We Are Church-Youth, KLuST (Cologne Lesbian and Gay Pride) and YouAct (European Youth Network on Sexual and Reproductive Rights). The WYD4All coalition campaigned for reform on the issue of the use of condoms to prevent the spread of HIV HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), either of two closely related retroviruses that invade T-helper lymphocytes and are responsible for AIDS. There are two types of HIV: HIV-1 and HIV-2. HIV-1 is responsible for the vast majority of AIDS in the United States. and AIDS. As a result of our efforts, for several days the focus of the media coverage was on the issues we promoted, not those the hierarchy wanted to push. Several bishops, Vatican Radio and Matthias Kopp, the official spokesperson for the hierarchy during the event, were all forced to respond to our arguments and acknowledge the importance of this issue. WYD4All made a huge impact on the whole event. Using postcards and stickers, the team promoted the Condoms4Life campaign at subway stations where the Condoms4Life ads were displayed and throughout the city. There was an overwhelmingly positive response, from pilgrims and residents alike. By mid-week, television crews were following the group around, along with radio and print reporters, recording our every move. People took postcards and put WYD4All stickers on their bags and T-shirts. We saw our stickers everywhere--even on the TV news. We also got a lot of support from the citizens of Cologne, a city. with a strong GLBTQ GLBTQ Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer GLBTQ Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgendered, Questioning presence. Residents were thrilled to see us raising important issues during this potentially conservative Catholic event. Every day, people thanked us for being there, including one man who worked at a local health clinic. He saw our shirts and said, "Yes! I am using condoms all the time! I know that good Catholics use condoms, you don't have to tell me!" He took a stack of postcards and stickers for his clients. The team joined the Gay Pride section during the papal parade, one of Benedict's first official appearances. In our red T-shirts we were the focus of attention and within 20 minutes everybody in the vicinity had put on at least one sticker. There were many rounds of "Wir sind alle homosexual" (We are all homosexual) sung to the tune of "Yellow Submarine" by the Beatles. As he passed, Benedict xvi waving like the Queen, smiled and recognizing what the fuss was about, looked away, clearly embarrassed. Another hit for the WYD4All team! Members of the WYD4All Coalition also attended the International Youth Hearing to challenge the Catholic hierarchy on the use of condoms. During an open forum at the hearing, Adam Qvist of YouAct rose and questioned German Bishop Reinhard Marx and Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez from Honduras on how they could possibly forbid condoms while millions died from the global HIV/AIDS HIV/AIDS Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome pandemic pandemic /pan·dem·ic/ (pan-dem´ik) 1. a widespread epidemic of a disease. 2. widely epidemic. pan·dem·ic adj. Epidemic over a wide geographic area. n. . The audience showed their support with a massive round of applause. Both the bishop and the cardinal responded with vague statements, and then, in front of a live TV audience, proceeded to acknowledge that condoms were a crucial part of the fight against HIV/AIDS. Later in the week we heard reports from Vatican Radio that Cardinal Lehman, head of the German Bishops Conference, had acknowledged that the church needed to approach sexual ethics in a new way. He said the Catholic church, "must very certainly approach these issues in a new way," or it would be ignored. WYD4All enjoyed extensive media interest and press coverage. Print, radio and television stories about the coalition and the Condoms4Life ad campaign showed up all over the world. The truth we brought to light on the ban on condoms was clear. As Adam commented after his confrontation at the Youth Hearing, "Seeing and hearing the support given from the young Catholic community has made our coalition believe in a revolution of the Catholic church's position on the use of condoms. It'll never be a question of if, but only a question of when." The WYD4All blog gives a full account of the team's successes in Cologne, including dozens of messages of support from around the world. www.wyd4all.blogspot.com WYD4ALL received hundreds of media hits, a small selection follows. Wire, Radio and TV News 2DF TV (Germany) * ABC News * Agence France Press * Associated Press * Bavarian Public Radio (Germany) * BBC World Service
The BBC World Service is one of the most widely recognised international broadcasters, transmitting in 33 languages to many parts of the world through multiple technologies. * Canal+ TV (France) * CBS News * CNN CNN or Cable News Network Subsidiary company of Turner Broadcasting Systems. It was created by Ted Turner in 1980 to present 24-hour live news broadcasts, using satellites to transmit reports from news bureaus around the world. * CTV CTV Canadian Television (Network Limited) TV (Canada) * Deutsche Presse Agentur (Germany) * Deutsche Welle wire (Germany) * EiTB 24 TV (Spain) * Focus TV (Germany) * National Public Radio * NBC News * Ren TV (Russia) * RTE Radio (Ireland) * Sky News TV (UK) * TF1 TV (France) * Vatican Radio * VRT VRT Vita Radio Transport (communications standard / protocol) VRT Virus Removal Tools VRT Vehicle Registration Tax VRT Vehicle Reg Tax VRT Voltage Reduction Technology (Intel Corp) TV (Belgium) * WDR WDR Westdeutscher Rundfunk (German radio and TV station) WDR World Development Report (World Bank) WDR Wide Dynamic Range (cameras) TV and Radio (Germany) Print Media Baltimore Sun * Chicago Tribune * Correio Braziliense (Brazil) * Die Welt (Germany) * Guardian (UK) * Kansas City Star, Mo. * Le Soir (Belgium) * Lexington Herald-Leader, Ky. * Los Angeles Times Los Angeles Times Morning daily newspaper. Established in 1881, it was purchased and incorporated in 1884 by Harrison Gray Otis (1837–1917) under The Times-Mirror Co. (the hyphen was later dropped from the name). * National Catholic Reporter * New York Newsday * Noticias (Brazil) * Philadelphia Inquirer * Reforma (Mexico) * San Jose Mercury News The San Jose Mercury News is the major daily newspaper in San Jose, California and Silicon Valley. The paper is owned by MediaNews Group. Its headquarters and printing plant are located in North San Jose next to the Nimitz Freeway (Interstate 880). , Calif. * Seattle Post Intelligence * Stuttgarter Zeitung (Germany) * Tallahassee Democrat, Fla. * Times (UK) * Times Picayune, La. * Toronto Star EMILY NEUBAUER and MOLLY O'GORMAN are staffers at Catholics for a Free Choice. |
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