Faithful to themselves” “

“THE YOUNG ARE NOT AS THEY USED TO BE”. That’s what the older generations often say: a statement at once true and false. Of course, the young have changed, in Germany as in Europe. Lifestyles, social trends, fashions, music are not as they used to be. But the statement that the young have changed is also mistaken, since the young have remained faithful to themselves, because they would like to change the world, and because they want to assume their own responsibilities. THAT ALSO GOES FOR THE CHURCH. German churches are ever more empty, and parish priests ask themselves: “What’s happened to the young?”. But the young are still there, nor do we need to search for them with a lantern. In the numerous youth groups, in the groups of liturgical service: that’s where the young are to be found in the Church. All we need to do is give them opportunities, entrust responsibilities to them within the Church, in groups, parish councils, associations. The important questions we need to pose are: are we certain of still expecting something from the new generations, and are we willing to entrust responsibilities to the young? In GermanY WE ARE WITNESSES of striking examples of the dedication of the young, especially in the run-up to the 20th World Youth Day (WYD). In the archdiocese of Cologne over 2,400 young people have already declared their willingness to take on responsibilities for the period of one and half years before the WYD, to dedicate their own free time as volunteers. So these “youth” cannot after all be all that bad! THE ADULT GENERATION. But it’s up to the “adult generation” to expect something of these young people, encourage them and motivate them. Disenchantment with politics, widespread throughout Europe, and the economic depression of the European Union, are hardly a stimulus for a generation that would like to make its own contribution. While we continue to repeat how bad everything is, we lose sight of our task to motivate the young: we must set them an example, in the Church, in society and in politics. This is too often forgotten. LEARNING FROM OTHERS. As a substantial enlargement of the EU draws near, we have the opportunity to learn something: we countries of Western Europe can learn something from those of Eastern Europe and vice versa. What we Western Europeans expect from EU enlargement is that it will bring with it a great deal of passion and capacity for enthusiasm. This will be reflected in the political activities of the new generations in Eastern Europe, as also in their presence during WYD. We are waiting with open arms for the new generations of the new member states of the EU, without forgetting the youth of non-EU countries! Matthias Kopp spokesman of the 20th wyd in cologne 2005