Countering popular culture

Sunday, July 20, 2008 | 2:04 a.m.

For the past several days people of all ages and all faiths have had a chance to hear inspiring words from the pope during World Youth Day festivities in Sydney, Australia.

We hope they’ve been listening, because Pope Benedict XVI has been speaking from the heart on subjects that should be taken to heart.

A theme of the pope’s message inSydney, one rarely heard in the usual crush of information that so influences people’s behavior, is that of extending one’s outlook. Care for humanity, not just what serves your own interests, the pope is saying.

World Youth Day was begun in 1984 by Pope John Paul II and is celebrated over several days in different locations around the world every two or three years. The central idea is to reach young people with uplifting messages that will affirm their diverse faiths and motivate them to work toward a better world. People of all ages attend because the words and events have universal appeal.

What people are hearing this year is causing them to frequently erupt into applause, giving hope that the themes set by the pope will continue to inspire commitment long after the festivities end today.

Pope Benedict, in our view, is an excellent antidote to the messages many young people are hearing today, ones that convey the notion that self-absorption, violence and apathy are fine qualities.

He is asking young people to get involved and live lives that have a purpose, that bring about positive change. Thrilling an audience of more than 200,000 people Thursday in Sydney, Pope Benedict said, “The concerns for nonviolence, sustainable development, justice and peace, and care for our environment are of vital importance for humanity.”

He also talked about the “poisons” afflicting communities and many individuals. “Among the more prevalent are alcohol and drug abuse, and the exaltation of violence and sexual degradation, often presented through television and the Internet as entertainment,” he said.

Such words are good for young people, all people, to hear and absorb.