July 31, 2002

Members of council, as you are no doubt aware, a miracle occurred in Toronto last week.

Hundreds of thousands of young people from around the world flooded our city to see his holiness, Pope John Paul II.

There were people from America and Australia; young men and women from Poland and from Portugal. They came from Brazil and from Spain; from Germany, from Japan, and from about 100 other different countries.

There was no violence among these young people. No drunkeness; no drugs.

Just singing and dancing in the streets; a celebration of peace and love and a re-affirmation of faith.

Two years ago, I experienced World Youth Days in Rome. Along with councillors Joe Mihevic and Joe Pantalone, we saw the pilgrims, walking and singing in 110 degree heat, on their way to see and hear the holy father.

At the vigil in Rome in that terrible heat, there were over 500,000 pilgrims, waiting for the Holy Father. They were asked not to make a sound until the Holy Father entered and you could have heard a pin drop.

Can you imagine 500,000 young people between the ages of 16 and 29, standing in the 110 degree heat and not making a sound?

There was complete silence. It was one of the most incredible things I've ever seen.

I wanted the people of Toronto to have the same experience that I did in Rome and thanks to the hard work of many people over the past three years, they did.

There are many one-in-a-million events to experience, but World Youth Day 2002 was a once-in-a-lifetime event.

Did you feel the love, respect and affection in the air? Did you hear the young people saying Pope John Paul II, "we love you" and did you hear the pope reply " and I love you? "

It sent chills through my body.

The miracle wouldn't have been possible without the efforts of Father Tom Rosica and the Archdioceses of Toronto.

The Catholic Church did a magnificent job of putting this event together and the results, as we saw, were nothing short of spectacular.

An estimated 800,000 people filled Downsview for Sunday's mass. Father tom, you did a super job!

I'd like to acknowledge the hard work of councillors Joe Mihevic and Joe Pantalone, who poured their heart and souls into helping organize this event.

And a special thank you goes to all our city staff, whose efforts before, during and after World Youth Day ensured that Toronto had on its best face and was on its best behaviour for the visit by Pope John Paul II.

Our police, fire and ambulance services and the OPP, the RCMP and the police officers from forces across Southern Ontario were just great; the TTC did a fantastic job moving all those pilgrims and our clean-up crews ensured that our city was seen in the best possible light.

Finally, I would be remiss if I didn't thank the thousands of citizens who volunteered to help make sure World Youth Day 2002 went off without a hitch.

Our citizens gave freely of their time. They opened their hearts and their homes to the pilgrims.

They helped us show the world that in Toronto, peace and love are a way of life. Our city was showcased worldwide and Toronto looked beautiful.

The pilgrims just loved our Toronto streetcars and our city and the exceptionally warm hospitality of the citizens of Toronto.

On behalf of Toronto City Council and the 2 1/2 million residents of this city, thank you, one and all.

Now, I would like to invite councillors Joe Mihevic and Joe Pantalone to the floor for a brief presentation.