According to www.msnbc.msn.com, during a two-day youth rally at Loreto, Italy Pope Benedict XVI closed the Sunday morning with a mass that was "the first environmentally friendly youth rally, a break from past gatherings that left tonnes of garbage and scars on the earth."

The Pope, intentionally dressed in green vestments, appealed to young Catholics to make "Courageous choices that can re-create a strong alliance between man and earth must be made before it is too late."

In the two-day youth rally, "more than 300,000 of them had slept on blankets and in tents or prayed during the night. Organizers said they were joined by some 200,000 more people who arrived from throughout Italy on Sunday morning."

"A participants’ kit included backpacks made of recyclable material, a flashlight operated by a crank instead of batteries, and color-coded trash bags so their personal garbage could be easily recycled. Meals were served on biodegradable plates."

"Tens of thousands of prayer books for Sunday’s mass were printed on recycled paper and an adequate number of trees would be planted to compensate for the carbon produced at the event, many in areas of southern Italy devastated by recent brushfires."

(Source or qoutes and images from: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20548340/).
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On a personal side note, I don't know about you but I have had the privileged to participate in one of these youth rallies in Toronto, Canada at the time Pope John Paul was still alive. I know how spiritual and passionate participants can get during these rallies, and I can just imagine what a wonderful experience the recent youth rally would be for first-timers or those who attend regularly. I suggest those who are Catholic to attend a rally like this because whether you are Catholic or not, the spirituality these young Catholics who attend youth rallies have is inspiring and intoxicating.