Pope says Church depends on youth
for its missionary dynamism
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| Pope Francis and young people at the Synod of Bishops in the Vatican. |
Pope Francis on October 6 addressed a festive rally in the
Vatican that brought together some 7,000 young people from various parts of the
world, along with the Synod Fathers.
By Robin Gomes
Pope Francis on Saturday expressed confidence that young
people will provide the missionary dynamism for the Church’s evangelizing
thrust in today’s fast changing, globalized and greatly interconnected world,
saying they are not just the future but also the Church’s present.
His remarks came in a prepared address to a festive rally in
the Vatican that brought together some 7,000 young people from
various parts of the world and the Synod Fathers who are
participating in the October 3-28 Synod of Bishops on the
theme , “Young People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment.”
The Church goes out with the young
“The Church, therefore, does not go out 'to' the new
generations, but goes out 'with' the new generations, and the Synod is the
fruit of a work in which you have been and are protagonists,” the Pope said.
Saturday’s rally entitled “Noi Per. Unici, Solidali,
Creativi”- meaning young people for uniqueness, solidarity and creativity
– was a variety programme that included singing, dancing, music, performances,
testimonies from young people from around the world and their questions to the
Pope on some of the burning issues that they are faced with.
The Pope said the contribution of the young people will be
used by the Synod Fathers in their work in order to continue the dialogue with
them.
Moving testimonies
Daniel Zaccaro, a 25 year old Italian from a poor,
crime-ridden neighbourhood of Milan narrated how he sank into crime, landing in
prison at the age of 18. But good souls helped him come out of the dark
tunnel and today he is in university.
Another young man from Iraq, Aziz Sadeq,
narrated how in just one day, without warning, he lost his home, friends,
family and dreams when terrorists invaded his village. He was 18.
After two months of despair in exile, France welcomed his parents, where Sadeq
has managed to rebuilt his life. He has graduated from high school and is
in the university today.
Rising again
Pope Francis said he was moved by their “personal stories,
imbued with passion and pain, animated by desires, solicited by aspirations,
marked by falls but also by the desire to rise again, to face the challenges of
life in a positive way and to run towards the most beautiful goals.”
The Pope said they have experienced first-hand the illusions
of contemporary man, who believes he can dominate the world and at times
does not realize that he is in turn dominated by idols such as money,
power and pleasure, that sow injustice and corruption. “But the most
touching thing in your stories,” the Pope said, “is the discovery that another
life is possible.” “Jesus does not leave us alone in our adventure,
especially in moments that put us to the test.”
Protagonists
Pope Francis said he was also struck by their questions
which expressed their desire to become protagonists of change and to
participate fully in the mission of the Church.
And the first way to be protagonists and to participate, the
Pope pointed out, is precisely to ask questions, because they come from that
attitude of seeking that is typical of young people, a search that does not
want to stop at theory but to arrive at practice, choice of life and
behavior. Rather than "why", they should rather ask
"how" to solve problems, the Pope added.
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