Sri Lankan youths participate in World Youth Day, Cologne - 2005

Five Sri Lankan youths participated in the festivities of World Youth Day, attended by Pope Benedict XVI, in Cologne, Germany from August 16-21.

This year marked the 20th World Youth Day, bringing together over 405,000 pilgrims from 193 countries in prayer, song and dance. The theme for this year's event was to retrace the steps of the Three Kings in prayer and song and was enhanced by the presence of Pope Benedict, who stated that he wished to support the faith of the youth and give hope to the world.

The Pontiff was enthusiastically welcomed by all those present and police estimated that up to 1 million people gathered to hear him speak at the final celebration which was viewed by more than 200 million people around the globe.

The Sri Lankan contingent, Peter Kalis, Andrew Julius, Kunaratnam Atputharajah, all from Jaffna, Rasika Prasada from Kandy and Nuean Priyankara from Panadura, are all members of Centre for Performing Arts (CPA) and were led by CPA Founder, Fr. N. M. Saveri. The highlight of their 13 day tour was not only to take part in the World Youth Day programs, but also to perform, by invitation, traditional Sri Lankan theatre with the Halsbach Theatre Group.

Centre for Performing Arts is a non-profit, non-government organisation that, for 40 years, has been using the performing arts as a tool for promoting peace, tolerance and healing in Sri Lanka. It is one of the country's only fully-integrated arts organisations bringing together members from all ethnic, linguistic, religious and regional groups in Sri Lanka to work towards peace and also, to help heal the affects of trauma through conflict and natural disaster.