Intervention of Mr. Saïd A. AZER, Member of the Pontifical Council for the Laity (EGYPT),
auditor
Thousands of young and adult persons, members of more than twenty Apostolic movements
- as well as from the Neo-Catechumenal Way - participate in a lively manner in the
services of the Church in Egypt, through listening to the Word of God and the celebration
of the holy sacraments. But every day they have to face the constant temptations
that threaten their faith. The most important challenges facing the members of
these movements are: -Emigration, as a consequence of superficial faith. -Newspapers
and the internet. -The world moving towards a “culture of death”, as Pope John
Paul II said. As an example: homosexual marriages, quick divorces, abortion, the constant
attacks on the Christian family. -Many Christians are no longer interested in the
liturgies and no longer listen. -Sunday Mass alone is not enough for the growth
of faith. -Forgiveness and conversion are values that no longer exist in daily
life. -The lack of unity between members of the clergy, and their human and spiritual
formation often is not acceptable and is often scandalous. -The immersion of young
persons in an anti-evangelical atmosphere. The solution, in the face of all these
challenges, is in the consciousness of the members of communities on the meaning of
their presence, the value of their mission and their Christian vocation towards the
Church and the countries they live in. The Neo-Catechumenal Way, for example, has
a lively experience with its members who rejected the idea of emigration, youth that
has abandoned drugs, rebuilt marriages, openness to life as it pertains to children,
thousands of young boys and girls throughout the world have offered their lives for
priestly vocations and monasteries, as well as communion with other churches.