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.

[00120-02.02] [UD003] [Original text: French]