February 23, 2013: Pope Benedict XVI has been a leading advocate of the evangelization
of the "digital continent." Now, as the Pope prepares to leave the See of Peter, young
people are using the "digital continent" to tell their own stories about a pope who
has profoundly impacted their lives, reported Zenit news agency on Friday.
Throughout
this year's 40 days of Lent, an online initiative called Generation Benedict is publishing
40 testimonies, one for each day, from young people who have grown in their faith
during Pope Benedict's pontificate.
Bloggers Collette Power and Lisette Carr
came up with the idea for Generation Benedict after receiving the news that the Holy
Father would resign at the end of this month.
Speaking with ZENIT, Lisette
Carr, explained that the aim of Generation Benedict is to highlight the "positive
impact the Holy Father has had on young Catholics from the UK and Ireland."
"For
us, this moment in the history of the Catholic Church is one of growth, renewal, dynamism
and joy," she said. "This is the message we hope people get when they read the blog."
Speaking
about the testimonies being published throughout Lent, Carr continued: "We hope sharing
stories will inspire others; maybe they will read one of his encyclicals or speeches,
or watch a homily on video. Perhaps a testimony will inspire someone to go to Adoration,
Mass, or sign up for World Youth Day Rio! We hope during these 40 days, seeds will
be scattered and more hearts will be touched by the experiences shared on the blog."
Collette
Power also spoke with ZENIT about the reasons for creating this blog. "With so many
media outlets claiming that Pope Benedict was out of touch with the 'youth of today,'"
she said, "it was important for me that the 'youth of the Church' tell their own story,
in their own words and on the continent the Holy Father encouraged us to take responsibility
for evangelising: the digital continent."
Power cited the Holy Father's visit
to the United Kingdom as having a strong impact on her own faith, adding how he knew
how to challenge young people to live their faith more fully. "He continually called
us to enter into an intimate relationship with Christ, to find our home in the Catholic
Church, to live our Catholicism without compromise, to place our gifts and talents
at the service of the Gospel and to give a bold and courageous witness to the Gospel
truth in a world that so desperately needs Christ."
"In a world marked by mediocrity
and indifference, he challenged us to become the saints of the 21st century," she
said. "He reminded us of our vocation to become holy and entrusted to us the great
missionary challenge of sanctifying the whole world."