Organizers said six people were slightly injured when a tent collapsed during the storm This is Benedict’s third World Youth Day, the once-every-three-year gathering of young Catholics from around the world that was launched a quarter century ago by Pope John Paul II in a bid to reinvigorate and spread the faith among the young

MADRID — A freak thunderstorm has forced Pope Benedict XVI to cut short his speech to an estimated million young pilgrims gathered for the church’s world youth festival, giving the outdoor prayer vigil at a Madrid airfield a dramatic climax. During the day, firefighters atop fire trucks had sprayed the crowds with water from hoses, and pilgrims sought shade from umbrellas, trees, tarps and tents in a bid to stave off the near 104 Fahrenheit […]