2014-02-28 15:50:06

Pope tells Latin American Church to care for its youth


February 28, 2014 - Pope Francis on Friday urged the Latin American Church to face with decision the challenges that young people raise, and not delude them, but to educate and evangelize them, making them into missionary disciples. This is a difficult and patient task but urgent and necessary, the Pope told in his message to the members of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America whom he met in the Vatican. The commission that operates under the Vatican’s Congregation for Bishops, held its plenary assembly this week on the theme: Educational Emergency and the Transmission of the Faith to Latin American Youth.

Besides handing the members a written message, Pope spoke off the cuff on issues such as compulsive gambling, euthanasia and drugs that destroy the young. Taking cue from his experience at the World Youth Day meet in Brazil last July, the Pope said that in imitation of Christ, the Church must respect the youth and commit itself to service, selfless love, fight for justice and truth. In this regard, the Holy Father particularly called for three attitudes – namely, accepting them, listening to them and inviting them to follow Jesus. He called the Church to search for the young people everywhere – school, family, work – particularly attentive to their needs and aspirations, serious problems of some, such school dropout, joblessness, loneliness and broken families. He urged the Church to transform them into Christ’s disciples, saying the Church cannot waste the treasure of youth with all their potentialities for the development of society, and their great yearning to form a great family of brothers and sisters in love. (Source: CNS)








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