The conscience ” “of the new generations” “

What do European and American, or African and Asian, youngsters have in common? The answer comes from Toronto, where the 17th World Youth Day (WYD) is now being held. There it is plain that young people from all latitudes are equal, no matter how different they are. Talking of the WYD, our thoughts inevitably recur to previous celebrations in Buenos Aires, Czestochowa, Manila, Paris, Rome, and now in Toronto. How many differences, but equally with what ease the young, be they Europeans or Americans, Africans or Asians, fraternize and create a climate of serenity and enthusiasm that fills everyone with joy, young and old alike. There’s no shortage of those, however, who turn up their nose at such events!Is it really a celebration of Christian joy, when youngsters from various parts of the world come together in these happenings of the spirit? Perhaps people will object that the Gospel speaks of meetings with God propitiated by silence and solitude. But cannot the two things be combined, as they were in the life of Jesus, besieged by crowds of people and pilgrim of the silent retreat into the mountains to pray?Personally I have no doubt. A community spirit expands the spirit and impels it to seek intimacy with God. I have experienced this many times during WYD: the Pope urges personal reflection. For minutes on end one “hears” the total silence of millions of young people who enter, perhaps for the first time, this deep spiritual experience.But who are these hundreds of thousands of young people in a far vaster context in which so many are those who remain the victims of the lack of religious freedom, as were those in Eastern Europe, or those who choose to avoid any religious commitment at all?If we wait for everyone to be convinced before moving in what they consider the right direction, the world is destined to stagnate. We need to convince the few if we want to reach the many. The Pope will undoubtedly give this message to the young, gathered in Toronto: do not fold your wings, but soar upwards into the air. In Europe, in America, in Africa, in Asia, in all the continents of the world, create new space for the Gospel.One of the key themes of the papal magisterium in recent years has been the mobilization of Christians and of all believers in the cause of peace. The international climate is grave, and who more than the young should be concerned by the fact? To understand that it is blasphemy to speak of terrorism and of war that is wished and rewarded by God, is a gain of incredible value. If the young are convinced of this, and assume responsibility for it, even after Toronto, they will continue to be major protagonists in the history of our time.In particular, as far as the youth of Europe are concerned, the WYD that will be celebrated in Germany in 2005 will be another occasion to rediscover their Christian roots. The forgetfulness of the past is a great limitation, because without memory there can be no culture, and without culture there is no civilization. But it’s useless to remember the past, if it does not serve to shape the future. What is so moving in a mass youth gathering like the WYD is the perception of a conscience, of a responsibility for the generations to come. The Pope is right. By privileging the young he opens the Church to God’s plan which still needs to be realized.