It should be noted that the three basic elements characterising the 15^th World Day of Youth have been combined into a single image:  i.e. the place, the protagonists and the spirit of the gathering.

The city of Rome is evoked by the stylised version of the dome of St Peter’s Basilica and the Bernini Colonnade.  The image of St Peter’s also recalls the real nature of the Church and the person of the Holy Father.  The young people, who share the leading role in the event, are identified by a unique, simple and irregular sign, conceptually linked with the figure of a circle which is used as a symbol of the totality of the younger generations.

The meeting between the Pope and the young people takes place by means of a mutual “embrace”, in which no-one remains passive;  each individual is at the same time both a promoter and a recipient.  

“Emmanuel” is the title of the hymn composed by four young people:  Marco Mammoli, Marco Brusati, Mauro Labellarte and Massimo Versaci.  It is a hymn which refers directly to the person of Jesus, the “Emmanuel” or “God with us”.  And the theme of WDY2000 is just this:  “The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us”.  In its creation, the piece, which lasts ten minutes, was written in Italian with some verses in English, French and Spanish.