We pledge… ” “

It’s called “El compromiso” and is the European charter drafted by the Christian youth of Europe, on 7 August, at the end of their pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. It was presented to JOHN PAUL Ii on 2 September. “Don’t be ashamed of the Gospel, – the Pope said, addressing himself to youth – and be conscious that the civilization of love is constructed not by separating Gospel and culture, but by seeking ever new syntheses between them. To fulfil this mission of yours, fidelity to Christ and to his Church, coherence between faith and life, and courage to the point of the heroism of sainthood are needed. It’s the journey that the saints of Europe took in past centuries. May their witness be an inspiration for each of you!”. The message of European youth is the result of a process, not yet concluded, that represents, among other things, a fundamental point of reference for World Youth Day in Cologne in 2005. We present below a summary of the document and of the text of the message addressed by the young to the Pope. our mission. “…We want a welcoming and caring Europe, that is respectful of others and capable of integration, that works for peace and freedom, and is conscious of its own past. We aspire to a Europe founded on the values of generosity and self-giving, spiritual values and the sincere search for truth. We believe in respect for life. We think that the development of each individual ought to be achieved within a real family”. THE STEPS TO BE TAKEN. The Europe of the future shall have to tackle many challenges: as young Christians we feel especially appealed to by some of them. Mobility and intercultural dialogue: We live in an ever-smaller world, in which we move about rapidly, exchanging culture and formation according to new and original languages… We think a “European” culture needs to be built to be able to collaborate between the nations of the continent and to dialogue with the cultures of the East and the southern hemisphere. We pledge to accept each person, to seize the opportunities we already have for contact between peoples, and to create new networks of relations that may help us to overcome cultural barriers and develop mutual understanding through the languages of art, music, sport and religion… Education, training and employment: …We wish to have a common market of free and accessible ideas, in an educational system capable of achieving the integral growth of the person, in the human, cultural, social and spiritual dimensions, and of accompanying youth in the new opportunities of access to work. We pledge to promote a culture of human and Christian values, foster European consciousness in the fields of education, and become educators for future generations. Family: …We wish for a Europe in which children can grow up in a serene environment, supported and promoted by suitable family policies that are particularly attentive to the needs of young married couples. We pledge to safeguard the family founded on marriage; as sons and daughters, we pledge to experience the family as a place of respectful communion between the generations; as young people, we pledge to educate ourselves in mutual self-giving and forge bonds based on responsibility for each other and for the community in which we live. Citizenship and participation: …We wish that the “grass roots” involvement of European citizens, and of youth in particular, be increasingly promoted. We pledge to overcome an individualistic approach to human rights, and to recognise, develop and foster the presence of persons within those intermediate structures of social participation in which democracy is experienced and matures. Peace and development: …We wish that the person and his dignity be increasingly placed at the centre of the processes of social, economic, cultural and environmental development, in a Europe that promotes peace and justice on the global scene. We pledge to assume sustainable lifestyles, and to educate ourselves in the non-violent management of conflicts. We pledge to foster those experiences of volunteer service and international cooperation that may contribute to the formation of new European citizens. Information: …We wish to have transparent information, in the means of communication and in the relations between public institutions and citizens that may help us to feel ourselves Europeans. We pledge to educate ourselves in the use of the media, to create the necessary conditions for the critical analysis of the information we receive and facilitate access to everything that may permit a greater consciousness of the reality of other countries of the continent. TRAVELLING COMPANIONS. In response to the greatness of these prospects, we feel the need to encourage the company of our contemporaries and persons of good will, to whom we wish to make a proposal. To other Christian youth: Be content to be Christians! Prepare yourselves seriously, by prayer, study and personal involvement, to be a significant presence in your community, in your parish, in your associations, and in the world of work… Without fear or complexes, be “youth in the Church, Christians in the world”. To all other young people: Together, without prejudices, we can achieve a “peaceful revolution” to build a more democratic and more just Europe, a Europe that is the expression of civil society. We urge you to place the person at the centre of each project, and to aim at and believe in the person’s full development. We offer you Christ as reference and model of life that is capable of giving a meaning to existence and quenching your thirst for happiness. To adults: Don’t be afraid of being adults! We need persons to guide us and be models of life… We ask you to trust the young and support us, allowing yourself to be provoked by our youthfulness. “WE CAN DO IT!”. We know that the other continents are looking to Europe and its youth, in the hope of a courageous response to the challenges posed to humanity by the third millennium. We feel that, with God’s help, we will succeed in building a Europe of hope, responding to Christ’s call with the same enthusiasm as the apostle James: we can do it!”.