Joyous youths emerged from Mosta Rotunda church yesterday, singing praises to God in preparation for the upcoming visit of Pope Benedict XVI.

They carried a cross, a replica of the one used in the World Youth Day events held in Sydney, Australia in 2008. They also carried an icon depicting the Virgin Mary carrying Baby Jesus.

The religious symbols continue on their journey from parish to parish, with Mass for youths being held each Sunday, in the run-up to April 18's Papal Mass on the Granaries, in Floriana.

Members of Catholic Action Youth (ŻAK) Mosta unfurled a banner outside the Mosta church which read: "Yes, youth are the hope of the Church", in an effort to demonstrate that the Catholic faith is alive and well among Maltese youth.

One youth, Roderick Borg, said: "The Pope is the highest figure in the Church, so it is very significant for me. It is only right that we put on such an activity to celebrate his upcoming visit."

Emma Zammit said: "Such activities help us to develop our Catholic faith in the hope of leading a better life. We can see that youths actually care about these things."

Martin Chetcuti, a ZAK youth worker, hailed the coming together of various Catholic youth groups from other localities for yesterday's event.

"We don't want the Papal visit to be just a two-day celebration that is forgotten about soon after. It is important to celebrate and prepare for his visit in an effective way," he said.

He added that youths were part of the Church today and the number who turned out for the event showed their faith was strong. "It's good to see and hear positive things youths are doing rather than just the negative," he continued.