Pope John Paul and over 200,000 young Catholics are anticipated in Toronto for a week of celebrations and penance amid tight security.
The Pope (82) arrives in Toronto today at the start of an 11-day trip that will take him to Guatemala and Mexico after he presides over the closing of World Youth Day celebrations at a mass on Sunday.
The World Youth Day celebrations are taking place amid fears of a new terror attack, a widespread child sex scandal embroiling the Catholic Church and an economic downturn. Moreover, until recently, there was concern the Pope might not be well enough to make the trip.
The Pope will also face a Catholic population divided over his views on topics such as abortion and birth control.
As a result, organizers said, only about 200,000 people from some 170 countries have so far registered for the week-long festival, a fraction of the 4.5 million who flocked to the Philippines capital Manila in 1995 or the two million who descended on Rome in 2000, the most recent World Youth Day.
But Catholic officials expressed confidence that the crowd would swell in the days ahead and said they expected closer to 750,000 for the final mass.
The biennial event in the past has been very popular with young Catholics, who can celebrate their faith, participate in community events, attend concerts and happenings and go to mass and confessions en masse.