ROME – In their second round of small group reports released Tuesday, participants in the Vatican\u2019s month-long youth summit offered a clearer picture of their emerging priorities – which range from youth in gangs to the pastoral situations of same-sex couples, as well as relations between elderly and the young, outreach to the \u201cnones,\u201d and the risks of sexual and other forms of abuse.<\/p>\n
The desirability of having lay people and married couples, not just clerics, involved in the process of priestly formation was also highlighted.<\/p>\n
The reports are generally considered the most reliable index of the main issues percolating in a synod and are formally styled as reactions to the meeting\u2019s working document, or\u00a0Instrumentum laboris<\/em>.<\/p>\n The summit, formally called the \u201cSynod of Bishops on Young People, Faith and Vocational Discernment,\u201d gathers roughly 260 bishops from all over the world along with other participants, including 36 young people. It\u2019s the third synod of the Pope Francis era, following two assemblies on the family in 2014 and 2015.<\/p>\n The first group is headed by Honduran Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga, who sits on the pope\u2019s council of cardinal advisors. It touched on the reality of young people who are members of gangs, saying that their reality cannot be ignored.<\/p>\n \u201cTheir only love is that of the group, and it\u2019s not easy to enter in these circles that are so closed and it\u2019s also not easy for the young people to leave these groups,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n In the same paragraph, the group spoke about \u201cwhat to do and how to act with homosexuals, who cannot be left out of our pastoral care, and other realities such as marriage between homosexuals, surrogate pregnancy, adoption by same-sex couples: All current issues that are propagated and funded by international governmental institutions.\u201d<\/p>\n The group also spoke about the need to propose the theme of youth as a \u201ctheological place\u201d from which God, through youth, is saying something to the Church. Youth, they argued, is a theological place not only because \u201cit\u2019s life\u201d but because of the \u201csituation of cultural fracturing young people are living in this era of epochal change, the introduction into a digital world without norms.\u201d<\/p>\n Another issue the group reflected upon is \u201csingles,\u201d describing it as a \u201ccomplex issue,\u201d and discernment is needed to understand if the growth of people living by themselves is due to a sociological phenomenon or a vocational one, if it\u2019s assumed as an option or for \u201csimple comfort, if it\u2019s a surrender to the service of others or if it\u2019s pure and hard egoism.\u201d<\/p>\n Either way, they write, \u201cthey deserve a hopeful reflection,\u201d and a word of support to those who have chosen this path, many of whom are close to the Church. They also acknowledge that there are some who might be single because their marriages failed.<\/p>\n The second Spanish group, moderated by Cardinal Luis Ladaria Ferrer, head of the Vatican\u2019s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, had a paragraph dedicated to young people who have \u201cspecial educational needs,\u201d understood as the entire \u201crange of frailties – physical, mental, intellectual, socio-cultural – and that despite their limitations are active subjects of transformation in their environments. This limitation is a possibility that opens up relations of solidarity and reciprocity, and therefore is a gift for their communities. The Church must receive them, and include them with courage.\u201d<\/p>\n They also made an appeal to those who are writing the final synod document to make reference to the \u201cBeauty and Joy of Love,\u201d expressing in a positive way what is involved with a human love lived from God.<\/p>\n \u201cAt the same time, we understand that fragility and sin can be expressed in a suitable way as an expression of our fragile human condition,\u201d the group wrote. \u201cWhen we talk about youth we can\u2019t start from a negative vision, because not all young people live that reality. For joy to sprout in a young person he or she must feel loved, welcomed by a family, by a community, and in this way be aware of his or her possibilities in order to discover and value his or her body and also integrate its limitations.\u201d<\/p>\n The group also said they find a \u201cvery large gap\u201d in the\u00a0Instrumentum laboris<\/em>when it comes to talking about faith, the process of faith formation, and the encounter with Jesus, saying these issues are \u201ctreated very poorly\u201d in the document.<\/p>\n In seeking to better refine the working document\u2019s understanding of vocation, one English language group suggested a distinction between \u201c\u2018vocations of being\u2019 (calls to particular states of life) from \u2018vocations of doing\u2019 (calls to a particular profession, career, apostolate, etc.).\u201d<\/p>\n There was also a suggestion that since the final document would not be limited to Catholics, but to \u201call people of good will,\u201d attention must be paid to the \u201cnones\u201d – individuals without religious affiliation – and hence, the need to \u201cconsider the fundamental human vocation as a vocation to love.\u201d The group went on to add for Christians, that love \u201cbears a name, and that name is Jesus.\u201d<\/p>\n As for the particular vocations of young people, one group said that the document should specify \u201cthe particular and abiding grace of being young,\u201d as a special stage in life.<\/p>\n Multiple groups noted the need for greater attention to the sacrament of Confirmation as being essential to the desire for \u201ca new Pentecost\u201d within the Church, where Confirmation is not seen as a \u201cgraduation\u201d from Church life, but rather a moment of rejuvenation.<\/p>\n Another sacrament – that of Reconciliation – was presented as being fundamental to the process of accompaniment, with one group noting that the sacrament provides a special or particular type of accompaniment, which is spiritual and psychological in nature.<\/p>\n A more traditional, or \u201cordinary,\u201d type of accompaniment is found in the family said one group. \u201cUsually parents are the people who know their child best and are the ones children trust,\u201d they wrote.<\/p>\n Recommendations were also made for a special section on accompaniment for engaged and newly married individuals, similar to the already existing section on accompaniment for those entering religious life.<\/p>\n While accompaniment \u201cshould be done in a climate of friendliness, trust and warmth,\u201d one group emphasized that \u201cobjectivity\u201d should not be lost in the process.<\/p>\n Similarly, another group highlighted the language regarding \u201cconscience,\u201d noting it should not be individualistic, but rather something done in community. \u201cWe felt that the introduction of the simple phrase, \u2018a well-formed conscience\u2019 might serve to hold off any concerns regarding subjectivism,\u201d the group added.<\/p>\n Lastly, another emergent theme among the English language groups was that of \u201cjoy\u201d – beginning with the very joy found within the Synod hall itself.<\/p>\n Once again, the physical presence of young people was mentioned, noting that the room \u201ccame alive,\u201d as they spoke. One group reported of a bishop who remarked, \u201cI never realized a Synod could be so much fun!\u201d<\/p>\n Within the reports, there was discussion as to how holiness and self-giving should be a joyful exercise. \u201cIt is not about gritting one\u2019s teeth and doing one\u2019s duty,\u201d one group concluded.<\/p>\n Another group put forth that \u201cIt is important to remind ourselves that a life of faith and joy in Christ is not impeded by any human limitations of mind or body, by disabilities or social circumstance.\u201d<\/p>\n In their report, German prelates rejected the idea of Christian life in the 21st<\/sup>century as a \u201cghetto\u201d, voicing a \u201cfundamental yes\u201d to the contemporary secular world. However, they called for the ability to \u201cdiscriminate\u201d in thinking about the world, including forces that \u201cmake many young people more insecure or exaggerate the experience of alienation.\u201d<\/p>\n Within that world, the Germans called for humility in engaging young people.<\/p>\n \u201cWe as the elders want to resist the temptation that we already know everything about how the lives of young people should unfold and what their successful life should be like,\u201d they said, insisting on the importance of listening to youth and seeking \u201ctraces of the presence of God\u201d in them.<\/p>\n However, they said that doesn\u2019t mean elders have nothing to offer.<\/p>\n \u201cWe also want to be companions who learn to help others with our own, longer life experience, who have already learned a little more in retrospect of how the contexts, experiences, decisions and supposed coincidences in a life blend into the form of a unique lived life.\u201d<\/p>\n God, they aid, \u201cthinks big\u201d for every person.<\/p>\n \u201cWe believe that, like a loving artist, he works on the form of every heart so that he himself can take more and more residence within it,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n On the subject of vocations, the Germans stressed that it\u2019s not a \u201cone-time\u201d event.<\/p>\n \u201cWe believe the sense of vocation in a person can grow and deepen through concrete engagement with reality, the acceptance of responsibility, the encounter with fellow human beings, the concrete encounter with Christ in prayer, in His Word, in the sacraments, and in the community experience of the Church,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n Finally, in discussing the sorts of \u201caccompaniment\u201d young people need from the Church, the German prelates called for vigilance about the possibility of abuse.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s especially important for us to point out the danger of abuse in the company: the abuse of power, the abuse of trust, the abuse that exists in the creation of an unfree relationship of dependency or in sexual violence,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n The German group was led by Bishop Felix Genn of M\u00fcnster, with Bishop Stefan Oster of Passau (the native diocese of Pope emeritus Benedict XVI) acting as the\u00a0relator,<\/em>\u00a0meaning the person who prepares the report.<\/p>\n French bishops focused on three points: accompaniment, discernment and vocations. Two of the three language groups emphasized the gift that young people represent, not only within the Catholic Church but in society as a whole.<\/p>\n \u201cOur Church, with a rich tradition regarding education and accompaniment (too rarely underlined, in our opinion, in the\u00a0Instrumentum Laboris<\/em>), must be able to walk with young people on the path to holiness,\u201d one observation reads.<\/p>\n In terms of accompaniment, the bishops emphasized the personal and community aspect of the term and the importance of finding appropriate methods to inspire faith in young people in an increasingly globalized and multicultural world.<\/p>\n The second part of the document, they said, \u201cconcentrates too much on the personal dimension of accompaniment and ignores the fundamental role of families and youth groups in terms of developing their faith.\u201d<\/p>\n Emphasis was placed on the need to establish a balance between bringing youth closer to the Catholic faith and respecting their personal freedom and independence. Whether it be in a group or individually, accompaniment \u201ccannot be improvised,\u201d the bishops wrote, and they suggested that special formation courses for youth ministry and supervising groups be put in place.<\/p>\n Providing continued formation is important, the French groups said, as well as providing opportunities for young people to gain responsibility within the Church for the \u201cexplicit mission of transmitting the faith.\u201d<\/p>\n Speaking on vocations, the bishops said that the\u00a0Instrumentum laboris<\/em>\u00a0at certain points seems to point to an excessively clerical understanding of the terms, adding that instead vocation is a calling for all people of faith given the right inclinations and reflection.<\/p>\n Vocation, they wrote, \u201cis the source of faith, the justification and ultimate end of human existence, of the Christian life in the Church. Furthermore, this divine vocation is addressed to all human beings. It\u2019s not reserved to members of the Church.\u201d<\/p>\n On discernment, the bishops observed that in allowing young people to receive the gift of faith, \u201cthey will be called to live the experience of the passage through the cross, every day of their lives, personally and in the Church.\u201d<\/p>\n In the Italian language groups, the second round of small group reports focused largely on the importance of accompaniment, and what that looks like in different contexts. Most groups placed a heavy emphasis on scripture, and mention was also made of the need to be realistic about where young people are at and to be aware of both the positive aspects they bring but also the challenges they face.<\/p>\n The first group, led by Cardinal Angelo De Donatis, Vicar of Rome, and Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, head of the Pontifical Academy for Life, focused on what the Church refers to as the universal call to a life of holiness, justice and peace, and the importance of accompanying young people.<\/p>\n Scripture was a large part of the group\u2019s reflections, with the story of the biblical figure of Samuel proposed as an image of how God calls a person, with patience and respecting their freedom.<\/p>\n In terms of accompaniment, the group said youth must \u201cabove all listen to God,\u201d but need good examples who are able to support, encourage and guide them in the decisions they make, while at the same time being aware of their weaknesses.<\/p>\n In the second group, led by Cardinal Fernando Filoni, prefect of the Vatican\u2019s Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, and Archbishop Bruno Forte, a member of the synod\u2019s organizing council, concern was raised that in at least one part of the synod\u2019s working document, there was an \u201cexcessively optimistic\u201d vision of the reality of young people.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is necessary to keep in mind that nature after original sin is wounded, and it is necessary to avoid every possible claim of self-sufficiency, rejecting the idea that a self-realization of man is enough,\u201d they said, adding that everyone, youth and those who accompany them, are sinners who have been forgiven.<\/p>\n They also spoke of accompaniment and the importance of helping walk young people through their questions and doubts, adding that the time of youth \u201cis not only a blessing, but is also a challenge, and our weaknesses must be dealt with.\u201d<\/p>\n The group also stressed the need for adequate preparation for those who accompany young people, which they said should not just be priests, but can be \u201cany baptized person able to commit themselves in service to the youth with generosity, faith and appropriate preparation.\u201d<\/p>\n In the third group, led by Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, prefect of the Vatican\u2019s Council for Culture, and Bishop Pietro Maria Fragnelli of Trapani, Italy, attention was paid to the diversity of the challenges young people face depending on where they are, with specific mention made of Iraq, Mexico and a religious sister from Asia.<\/p>\n They spoke of uniting \u201centhusiasm and risk\u201d in the faith, with references to scripture and the Second Vatican Council, particularly biblical passages that refer to the mission of the disciples.<\/p>\n No matter who a person is, where they are from, or what rite they belong to, \u201cthe mission of the Church continues to be that of valuing the strength of young people and supporting their weakness,\u201d they said, adding that input from auditors and delegates helped to deepen their reflections on this point.<\/p>\n Noting how many young people, believers and non-believers alike, have difficulty making decisions and choose to believe \u201cin my own way,\u201d rather than as part of a community or a specific denomination, the group said youth must be helped and accompanied \u201cwith a lot of respect and trust,\u201d and, if necessary, \u201calso with some psychological help and with the appropriate experience of service.\u201d<\/p>\n Mention was also made of the role lay movements play in getting young people involved, especially those who might have previously been distant from the Church.<\/p>\n The Portuguese-speaking group, headed by Cardinal Jo\u00e3o Braz de Aviz, wrote that the faith cannot be \u201creduced to morality,\u201d and that the Christian proposal must instead be rooted in concrete experiences.<\/p>\n The crisis of vocations, they argued, begins with a crisis of faith. They also write that many times faith today is transmitted through \u201cnontraditional ways,\u201d such as parents awakened to the faith by their children, and many young people finding their faith through their peers and not in the family.<\/p>\n On a human, anthropological level, they argued, in the heart of every young man and woman, there\u2019s an \u201caspiration to happiness, a desire to be considered, valued and loved.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIn a context of uncertainty, precariousness and insecurity, they need the closeness of a Church that is present in their lives especially from other young people who, from their experience of faith, can warm their cold and indifferent hearts with their own availability to welcome, walk together and give them reasons for hope.\u201d<\/p>\n The person of Jesus, the Portuguese group wrote in their reflections of the second section of the\u00a0Instrumentum laboris<\/em>, can be a \u201ckey response to the challenges\u201d young people face today, and a \u201csign of hope\u201d as they try to find meaning for their lives.<\/p>\n Regarding affectivity and sexuality, the group spoke about the differences between the teaching of the Church and what young people practice today, acknowledging that many people ignore, others question and others still \u201care influenced by ideology or scientific information in fields where there is not always a consensus.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cStarting from basic principles of Christian teaching (such as the value of human life and the dignity of the body), it is possible to open roads of dialogue with non-believers,\u201d the group wrote. \u201cThe doctrine of the Church in this field is beautiful and rich. It is necessary to present it with clarity, believing in the force of attraction contained therein and surpassing the vision of those who see it only as something rigid.\u201d<\/p>\n The group also underlined the importance of overcoming the tendency toward clericalism and \u201cspiritual worldliness\u201d in seminary formation, educating future priests \u201cfor humility and service. The presence of lay people, married couples and not only other clerics in the structures of formation would be very helpful.\u201d<\/p>\nSpanish-speakers<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n
English-speakers<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n
German-speakers<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n
French-speakers<\/em><\/h3>\n
Italian-speakers<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n
Portuguese-speakers<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n