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Sydney: Pilgrims cheered, sang and wept as a giant wooden cross serving as the symbol of a Roman Catholic youth festival, which will be led by Pope Benedict XVI, sailed into Sydney Harbor on Monday.
A ferry carrying the 12.5 ft. (3.8 meter) World Youth Day cross glided past the city's iconic opera house while pilgrims on board waved to those on shore.
World Youth Day, which begins on Tuesday and runs through Sunday, is expected to attract more than 200,000 participants and is the largest public event in Australia since the 2000 Olympic Games.
Hundreds of faithful gathered on the wharf burst into applause and belted out Australia's unofficial anthem, "Waltzing Matilda," as the boat docked and the cross was carried off the ferry for a procession through downtown Sydney.
"It's a very exciting moment," Sydney Auxiliary Bishop Julian Porteous said while nearby pilgrims lunged forward to touch the cross as it passed. "I think at this moment, everyone is saying the journey is complete."
Groups of volunteers and pilgrims took turns carrying the 40 kilogram cross along one of Sydney's main streets, which was closed to traffic. Thousands lined the sidewalks, snapping photos and waving.
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