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THE Pope has christened Australia the "great southern land of the Holy Spirit" and urged young people troubled by the state of the world to seek answers in faith.

Pope Benedict made the comments in his official message to Australians and to pilgrims for World Youth Day, released to The Sunday Telegraph to coincide with his arrival today for the week-long Catholic youth festival.

The Pope`s plane, Shepherd One, touched down in Darwin for a brief refuelling stop shortly after 9am ACST (9.30am AEST). After picking up Darwin`s bishop, who brought the pontiff a painting of an Aboriginal Madonna and child, the flight to Sydney resumed.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Premier Morris Iemma will meet the 81-year-old when the papal plane touches down at Richmond Air Force Base, on Sydney`s northwestern outskirts, at 3pm (AEST) this afternoon.

He will then rest for three days at a rural retreat at nearby Kenthurst before his first appearance at World Youth Day on Thursday in a papal "boat-a-cade" on Sydney Harbour.

More than 200,000 young Catholics are descending on Sydney to take part in World Youth Day events, putting religion centre stage for a week in Australia`s biggest city and putting rail and road systems to their sternest test since the 2000 Olympic Games.

In a message prepared in advance of his arrival, Pope Benedict thanked all who had supported the event, including the NSW and federal governments. Together, the State and federal governments have contributed more than $100 million to bring Australia one of the biggest events in the world.

The Pope said that although he could not travel outside Sydney, his thoughts and prayers would be with all Australians around the country.

"My heart reaches out to all of you, including those who are sick or in difficulties of any kind," the Pope said.

Consistent with his teachings since becoming Pope, he singled out the lack of hope felt by many young people as one of the main problems facing the world.

He said the young longed to find solutions to poverty and injustice, were challenged by the arguments of atheists, and worried about the impact of human greed on the environment

"Where can we look for answers? The Spirit points us towards the way that leads to life, to love and to truth. The Spirit points us towards Jesus Christ."

He renewed his invitation for young people to join him in the great "southern land of the Holy Spirit", noting that many had made great sacrifices to attend.

Carnival crowd

Yesterday, thousands of singing, chanting pilgrims swamped Sydney Airport eager to begin their World Youth Day adventure. Even more will arrive today and tomorrow, which will be the busiest days for the city`s airport since the Olympics.

Pilgrims are being accommodated in private homes, hostels, schools and church halls and even the show pavilions at Sydney Olympic Park where 10,000 will bed down for the week.

Twenty-one-year-old Nathan Stein, who travelled from Kansas City, said he was excited to be part of a great event. "It`s really exciting to be with other youth from all over the world, especially those that share the same faith as you," he said.

"I think we would love to see the Church and the faith flourish here and I think that`s probably one of the main reasons why the Holy Father chose this area. He wanted to bolster the faith down here."

Benedict XVI is the third pontiff to visit Australia after Pope John Paul II (1995 and 1986) and Pope Paul VI (1970).

During his visit, the Pope is expected to formally apologise for the Church`s handling of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and he may meet abuse victims as he did on a trip to the US earlier this year.

He is also expected to reach out to Aboriginal Australians, following the example of his predecessor, Pope John Paul II.

World Youth Day officially begins on Tuesday with a Mass conducted by Sydney Catholic Archbishop Cardinal George Pell. It culminates with the Papal Mass at Randwick Racecourse next Sunday, which is expected to attract between 300,000 and 500,000 people.

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