On the eve of World Youth Day, young Australians have spoken out against the Catholic Church in an online poll.
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In the survey, conducted on MySpace.com, 77 per cent of 650 young Australians polled said they felt the church was out of touch with them.
For non-Catholic and non-Christian youth aged between 14 and 24 who were questioned on topics relating to World Youth Day and the teachings of the Catholic Church, 65 per cent said the event was not relevant to them at all. Fifty-three per cent of Catholic youth said they could not be involved in the international religious gathering because of the churches' stance on sexuality.
The networking portal, which attracts more than 1.1 million visitors under the age of 24 each month, has since been dubbed "the voice of the youth".
"The MySpace Generation has spoken," MySpace.com vice president Rebekah Horne said.
The purpose of the event and its title drew ire from 17 year-old Queenslander Kelsey-Lee.
"Sure, have the 'day', just make sure you call it World Catholic Youth Day, and don't waste so much money on (an) event that could be much better spent elsewhere," she said.
"I think it's stupid that so much money has been spent on something religious when the state and religion are supposed to be separated.
Others said they believed the religious gathering was politically motivated, and a revenue-raising venture.
Despite the overwhelming criticism, Queensland's Catholic Archbishop John Bathersby said the event was a sign the Catholic faith was alive and well.
"The message is the faith of the young people," Archbishop Bathersby said.
"Young people living out the happiness and joy of the faith.'
The Australian survey also added weight to the controversy sparked by a national sexual health group, which has planned to hand out condoms to pilgrims in Sydney.
An overwhelming 89 per cent of Australian youth rejected the idea of abstinence, and 61 per cent supported the use of contraception as a way of preventing sexual disease and reducing the risk of unwanted pregnancy.
World Youth Day co-ordinator Bishop Anthony Fisher said the condoms from the NoToPope Coalition would add a bit of humour to the event but he hoped the group would also respect the pilgrims' beliefs.
However, nearly a quarter of respondents to the online poll - who considered themselves Catholic - admitted having sex before the legal age of consent and using condoms.
