"It has been a beautiful and gratifying experience though at first it wasn't easy to attract youths," said Fr Twanny Chircop, Commissioner for the Holy Land, at the end of Mass at Emmaus, yesterday, as the youth pilgrimage led by the Archbishop was nearing its end.

He was referring to the fact that the pilgrimage had to be opened to people of all ages when bookings seemed to have come to a halt, but at the end of the day he was satisfied with the percentage of youths who had participated.

He thanked Archbishop Paul Cremona and Archbishop Emeritus Joseph Mercieca for taking part and presented both with an icon.

"What was so special about this trip is that besides being a pilgrimage, the majority of the participants were youths who were looking for God's presence in their life," Mgr Cremona said later.

He remarked that he was impressed by the spirit of camaraderie that developed among the pilgrims. However, at the end of the day, what was most important was that "we share this experience with those we love and others who have never been through this experience".

Mgr Mercieca was in the Holy Land for the first time. He said the Franciscan friars had invited him to visit several times when he was still in office but he could only do travel there now that he had retired.

"This pilgrimage was useful for our spirituality and for our day-to-day lives, mine included," he said.

Mgr Mercieca also had words of praise for the Franciscan friars who guided the group and whom he described as "inspirational".

"They did not just show us around the various sites but they gave meaning to them. In the process, we did some physical exercise too, which was useful as well," he said giggling.

Fr Noel Muscat, a missionary in the Holy Land for the last five years, joined the pilgrims in Bethlehem, where he resides, on Thursday. With only a few days at his disposal, he did his utmost to impart his vast know-ledge of the country to the pilgrims.

"It was the first time I accompanied a group of youths," he said yesterday. "Normally one would think that the Holy Land attracts more elderly people so the fact that I saw young people interested in the message and history of this land was encouraging for me."

Fr Marcello Ghirlando, whose sense of humour endeared him to everyone, said he was satisfied with the outcome of this pilgrimage "for one reason".

"The Gospel came alive in the heart of the youths present and one felt a more profound experience through Jesus."