For varied and sundry links to World Youth Day stories and texts...

... visit The Benedict Blog, as Christopher Blosser has once again outdone himself.

Also, check out these great photos from the event.

And just posted by Damian Thompson of The Telegraph:

The crowd-pulling power of Benedict XVI is almost miraculous, given the contrast with his openly charismatic predecessor, and his former image as a conservative "enforcer". Who could have predicted that at World Youth Day in Spain – which was not even his first visit to that country as Pope – he would attract a crowd of a million young people? Not the BBC, which decided to play down the week's events in a manner that one commentator described as "almost parodic" in its grouchiness. Read what the Catholic Herald had to say about it here; I must declare an interest, being a director of the Herald, but its online coverage of World Youth Day really has been superb.

I'm very struck by the rapport – so evident during the Pope's visit to Britain – that Benedict has established with young people. Partly it's his grandfatherly charm; partly his spiritual message, expressed in language that is neither platitudinous nor patronising. What a breath of fresh air for young people exposed to bishops' conferences' "youth ministries", with their dumbed-down homilies and 1970s folksy musak. The Herald's Madeleine Teahan, definitely a young Catholic writer to watch, came up with a lovely phrase for this Pope: "A meek man of mighty action".

Read his entire post.

More reflections and thoughts about World Youth Day 2011 in the days to come!