A pastoral message from Catholic bishops is intended to encourage young people seeking truth and integrity and to find new ways forward to build their faith in themselves, it was said yesterday.
Auxiliary Bishop of Down and Connor Dr Donal McKeown announced the pastoral message as he led the first Irish delegation of young people to Cologne for the 20th World Youth Day event from August 16th to 21st, which will be attended by Pope Benedict XVI.
At Dublin port, Dr McKeown said the intended audience was not just young people but all those who are concerned about the welfare and future of our young generation.
He said the document, Building Faith in Young People, the first such document in 20 years, was written after conversations with young people about what they would like to hear from the church. "These young people and hundreds of thousands of others that will come to Cologne over the next 10 days don't see themselves as the church of the future, but as part of the church of the present," he said.
The bishops were conscious that Ireland, North and South, had changed in so many ways in the last two decades. That meant church structures had to change.
"This message is intended as a word of encouragement to young people who are seeking truth and integrity and to all those generous adults who share their journey," Dr McKeown added. "We hope it will help all of us to find new ways forward if we are to build up young people's faith in themselves and as well as their faith in a God who has faith in them."
Dr McKeown is chairman of the bishops' commission on vocations and pastoral outreach to youth and third-level students.
The pastoral message said much had changed in the last 20 years. Increasing wealth had been accompanied by greater divisions and tensions in society. Scandals had led to mistrust of major institutions and fear of crime was a reality of life for many.
"Many young people are losing their lives through accidents, assaults and suicide. The abuse of addictive substances such as alcohol and narcotics has taken a heavy toll."
Some labelled and condemned young people as being responsible for much bad behaviour, which was unfair. The bishops believed there is something wrong with a society that jails more and more of its youth.
"We believe that we have failed our young people when there is a growing assumption that nothing will last long, that life is only about accumulating experiences and that each individual has to create their own world of meaning in the midst of chaos.
"That insecurity will not build faith in anything and it can easily lead to alienation, depression and addiction."
The bishops acknowledged that for many people, the institutional church had been seriously compromised by scandals. Some had drifted away from active membership, while for others, religious belief seemed irrelevant. Religious illiteracy was growing.
"Our church community has to accept responsibility for its failures in this regard.
"All human beings yearn to belong, to be recognised, to see justice, to make meaning in their lives and to feel that they are on a spiritual journey of growth. The journey of faith is one that lasts for all of our lives. It is not merely a one-off event but a process."
The bishops acknowledged that the traditional church structures did not always reach out to the young. The ministry needed investment in terms of money and personnel. In an age when young people were bombarded with all sorts of messages and pressures, the gospel needed to be proclaimed loudly and clearly.
"Young people need positive, safe space to build up their self- confidence, to sustain their vision and to celebrate their hope. An explicit ministry to young people is an essential, not an optional extra."
It would be wrong to see the problems of building faith in young people as insurmountable. It was a challenging time to be in the church, the bishops said.