Intervention of Rev. Georges NORADOUNGUIAN, Rector, Armenian College, Rome (ITALY), auditor

If the Church is the assembly of the faithful and we are only clerics here, then we are not a Church but we are the leaders of our Churches.
With our priestly ordination or our episcopal consecration we received a state of grace; but unfortunately we have lost the grace of being in direct contact with our faithful.
In fact if we take a look at the themes dealt with it is immediately apparent that these are the concerns of us hierarchs. There are difficulties in establishing relationships among us. Difficulties in establishing relationships with the conditions of the countries we live in.
I have serious doubts about the fact that the problems we are dealing with are problems that involve our youth. I fear that what we are dealing with is a simple interpretation of what our faithful are facing or living and instead we are not dealing with the real causes.
For a solution we do not need interpretations or justifications but rather a serious diagnosis of the situation and research in its cause.
I believe it is very important to let our lay people speak and particularly our young people because they are the first to be interested in the theme and in our debates.
Their word has many advantages.
1. They are often denied the advantages reserved to us men of religion and to those who rule our countries, so young people have more courage in speaking of their difficulties and are more outspoken.
2. Not having the material benefits/social security that we have as clergy, young people have a more objective and realistic vision of the situation of their faith and the difficulties of their Churches.
3. Having no state privileges they are less afraid of “secret agents” of a country and they speak more courageously than us about the real daily challenges.

[00163-02.02] [UD023] [Original text: Italian]