World Youth Day Draws Crowd of 250,000 Catholics in Australia

World Youth Day pilgrims brought the city of Sydney, Australia to a standstill Tuesday as more than 250,000 participants descended on the city for the event’s opening ceremonies.

More than 100,000 Catholic pilgrims arrived in Sydney Harbor from overseas for the festival, which will be highlighted when Pope Benedict XVI addresses the group on Thursday.  A papal Mass on Sunday before thousands at a racetrack in the city is scheduled to end the proceedings.

The annual event came under worldwide scrutiny last month when a law banning “annoying people” was called into question by activists planning protests during the Catholic festivities.  A court decision reached Tuesday struck down that law, paving the way for protesters opposed to Benedict’s policies on contraception, abortion and homosexuality to gather this week.

The ‘faith fest’ is a six-day event that has been called a Catholic-style Woodstock with hundreds of concerts, films, theater performances each day alongside papal masses, over-night prayer vigils and faith-discussion groups. More than 170 countries are represented at this year’s gathering, which rivals attendance at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.