With its dynamic conception and its clear elements, the logo symbolises the essence and the characteristics of the 2005 World Youth Day in Cologne.
The most important moment in the World Youth Day is the encounter with Christ, represented by the cross that dominates the logo at its very centre. It is Christ's presence that characterises this event. The colour red symbolises love, passion and pain. It indicates God's love and Jesus' death on the Cross, but reminds one of the pain present in our lives and all over the world. The cross is the main symbol of Christian hope and redemption in Jesus Christ, which is greater than any pain.
The star symbolises divine guidance and provides a sense of direction. It shines as the divine indication of the place in which Jesus was born. According to the Bible, it showed the wise men from the East, the Three Magi, the road they should travel to reach Jesus. After wandering for a long time, they encountered Jesus and returned home as changed men. Just as it shone then on the stable in Bethlehem, today the star shines on God's house in Cologne. The star wishes to lead young people from all over the world to Cologne for the World Youth Day. You must come here!
The comet's tail represents the star's route: it comes from above, from God. Hence, it crosses the limited horizon of our earthly world. The golden colour is a reminder of God's heavenly light, which lights up the darkness of this world. All over the world, the comet symbolises the feast of the Nativity and the Epiphany.
Cologne Cathedral represents the place where the World Youth Day will be held. For centuries, the relics of the Three Magi have been venerated in this cathedral. The Cathedral's red colouring unites the Church with the Cross: Christ and the Church are inseparable. It is through the Church that Christ, crucified and risen, is present in the history of the world. The Cathedral's strongly stylised shape can also be considered as a symbol of other churches in which a number of stages of the World Youth Day will take place in Germany.
There are various levels of meaning for the ellipse, such as the stylised letter C standing for Christ, but also for the universal communion of the Church (Communio). Furthermore, the arc represents God's protective embrace. The sky, representing God's mercy, embraces and saves the Church and the whole world, an idea also expressed by the arc's blue colouring. The arc is projected towards the cross while simultaneously opening to it. The logo's global dynamics derive from the Cross: Christians must turn to the Cross, orientate themselves towards Jesus, crucified and risen, in adoration, as one can read in the motto for the XX World Youth Day: "We have come to worship Him" (Mt 2,2).
The lower and supporting parts of the arc remind us of the river Rhine and of a boat: the church is like a ship, also in memory of Noah's redeeming ark. The blue of this arc symbolises water and therefore also the water of baptism.[1]
