At Knavesmire Racecourse in York, Pope Saint John Paul II celebrated Marriage and Family Life with a crowd of more than 190,000 people.
Some turned up at midnight to guarantee a space. At 8am, the Rt Revd Gordon Wheeler, Bishop of Leeds, celebrated Mass for the tens of thousands already on site. Stepping down from one of two helicopters that landed at the racecourse (a step taken for security reasons), the Pope greeted the crowd with a wave.
I am happy to be with you in this historic city of York. We are in the shadow, as it were, of the beautiful Minster, and in the spiritual company of so many saintly men and women who have graced these northern counties.
