Among the numerous YOUTH ENCOUNTERS, proposed during the evenings of today and tomorrow to the participants of the World Youth Day in various places of the capital, three have been organised by the Secretarial Office of the Italian Epicoscopal Conference, and they cope with important themes for man’s life such as Family, School and Work. What unites these themes is the day during which they take place, today, wednesday 16^th of August.

The Basilica of San Giovanni in Laternano will host, from 18:00 to 20:00, the YOUTH MEET promoted by the National Office of the C.E.I. for the family pastoral on the theme Why  is love as strong as death. “The appointement, which’s title is inspired from a quote of the Cantico dei Cantici, if primarly reffered to the people who are engaged and it is intended to to present human love as a vocation and the sacrament of marriage as true symbol of the love of Christ for the Church”, comment the organizers. The night will go on with readings from the bible, witnesses (many will speak, such as the founder of the Sermig Ernesto Olivero and the president of the “Movement for life” Carlo Casini, all with the respective wifes), scenic actiond ( extracts from The goldsmith’s shop by Karol Wojtyla and  Romeo and Juliette  by William Shakespeare) and the songs by Claudio Chieffo. Five languages will be spoken during the manifestation: italian, french, english, spanish and polish. The conclusive prayer will be chaired by the Bishop, president of the Episcopal Commission for the family, Monsignor Dante Lafranconi.

The University of Rome “La Sapienza” will host instead, from 17:00 to 20:00, the YOUTH MEET organised by the National office of the C.E.I. for education, school and university (in collaboration with the Office for the the universitarian pastoral of the Vicariat of Rome) on the theme Being christians in university today. The initiative, thought in a particular way for the young universitarians, will work in two ways. The first, throughout interviews with some representant of the “cultural world”, institutions and society (of which the well known Footballer Abel Balbo), witnesses from students, music and songs, confrontations in the university as a “place of studies and research, encounter between faith and science, community of formation at civil society service”. The second part will consist in the representation of Streetlight, the new musical of the international complex  Gen Rosso inspired on a fact happened on the 79° street in Chicago. The YOUTH MEET will be presented by two known faces of the RAI, Annalisa Manduca and Stefano Ziantoni. “It will be a moment of reflection- explain the organizers-, to understand how to transmit the evangilical message in the universitary world of today, but also an occasion of party and happiness”.

Instead, the YOUTH MEET proposed by the National Office of the C.E.I. for social problems and work will be named Work in progress, and presented from 20:00 to 23:00 in PIAZZA SANT’IGNAZIO. The night will be divided in five parts and will begin with a moment of welcome (pledged by a sympathic distribution of “barchette”). The gospel of St. Peter’s call(Lc5,1-11) will be spoken in five different languages, in order to introduce the inspirating idea the encounter, “that the incarnation of the Word redeams and humanizes the reality of work and allows working in a new way, as sons of God”, say the promoters. Will follow then, witnesses from the  five continents, introduced by the multicoloured doves and mimical movements, and concluded by songs and animations. The forth part will be dedicated to the announcement ( with the Homily of the bishop who will chair the rite) and to the prayers of praise in german, spanish, french, italian, english and portogese. The conclusion will consist in an hour of party and music.