VATICAN, Aug. 16 (CWNews.com) - Attendance at World Youth Day may be 30 percent higher than anticipated, organizers have indicated.
Last-minute registrations have swollen the ranks of young people coming to Rome for this week's celebration in Rome. Organizers also revealed that many young people are arriving unannounced, without reservations.
As of August 15, all of the 2,741 facilities available for lodging in Rome and the environs had already been filled. Parish secretaries in the Rome diocese were making phone calls throughout the day, seeking new places to house the unexpected guests.
Organizers had predicted a crowd growing to 1.5 million by August 19, for the climax of the World Youth Day observances. That figure now may need to be revised upward.
Catholic World News Service - Vatican Update