Youth and the bishops,” “new scope for dialogue” “

The search for a new language closer to the situation of young people, the greater involvement of bishops in their problems, and the need to re-think traditional structures such as the parishes to find new ways of mission: according to Msgr. Amédée Grab, president of the Council of the European Episcopal Conferences (CCEE), these are just some of the main conclusions that emerged from the 10th Symposium of European Bishops, held in Rome from 24 to 28 April on the theme “Youth of Europe in the process of change. Laboratory of the faith”. “The language aspect – says Msgr. Grab – is one that has to be seen with a critical eye. It’s clear that the language of the Church must be as close as possible to that of the youth world”. In this sense the Symposium revealed the need for young people to “feel their bishops closer to them”, leaving behind reciprocal fears. According to Grab, in fact, “the bishops must not be afraid of the young, even if their requests are difficult and their needs profound. Young people must have trust in their pastors”. “The young – according to the president of the CCEE – are attracted by the radical nature of choices which is also expressed in living the faith in a community dimension. Contemplation, for example, in its radical nature, remains an essential dimension that has a tremendous appeal for the young. It’s the Church’s task to facilitate their approach to the Gospel by this means”. In the process of the construction of Europe the contribution of the young is fundamental: “Everyone – concludes Grab – has responsibilities in this regard. Many people on the other hand are still convinced that to be Christians means being faithful to certain religious duties and practices. But we must not forget that each choice we make, each life-style we adopt, forms part of the social reality in which we live and forms part of the future of Europe. It’s not possible to imagine a Europe in which each person only thinks of maintaining his own advantages. That isn’t a Christian perspective”. “The young are the ‘special antennae’ of the future, because they are able to divine what is going to happen. They thus have a privileged mission in the Church and in society. This role of theirs needs to be recognized. It may make an enormous contribution to the construction of Europe”. That is the view of Msgr. Josip Bozanic, archbishop of Zagreb and vice-president of the CCEE. “The Symposium – he says – has defined a new role of the bishop, called to be closer to young people, who wish to have him as an interlocutor”. The aspect of communion, in particular, was repeatedly emphasized during the meeting: “The young wish increasingly to experience the life of the community as a privileged place of formation and growth – pointed out Bozanic –. At the same time they live in close communion with those in their own age group outside the Church”. Within the European continent, he says, “it’s more adults who note the differences between East and West and between North and South. The young have a wish to get to know each other and to collaborate together”. The youth of Eastern Europe “may bring to their contemporaries in the West the experience of those who have lived and suffered during the communist regime and the capacity to support the cross without losing their hope in the future. This is a Christian hope that young people ask be taught to them by masters of spirituality and by credible witnesses”. “The greatest challenge that awaits the young is to revive the Christian roots of Europe”, maintains Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, Archbishop of Westminster, he too vice-president of the CCEE. “At the end of this Symposium the young will return to their countries bringing new ideas and renewed hopes to their bishops and to their contemporaries”. The priorities pointed out by the cardinal include that of “bringing the Church closer to young people”. “The bishops attending this Symposium – he adds – are not afraid of the young of course. What needs to be sought, rather, is a greater opportunity for contact with the youth world. The bishops must find the time to be at the side of young people”. On the other hand, according to Murphy O’Connor, the greatest challenge that awaits the young is that of reviving the Christian roots of Europe. We must keep the memory alive that the death and resurrection of Christ have always been present in history. We must have faith in the future. We must not be discouraged by events that seem to be pushing the faith off course”. “The young – concludes Murphy-O’Connor – are called to be the first witnesses of the Gospel but in wholly new ways, conscious of the needs of their own contemporaries.”