By M L Satyan

Bengaluru, Aug 11, 2022: India is celebrating the 75th year of its Independence. Even after 75 years, India’s youth is facing a lot of challenges like unemployment, human trafficking, drug abuse, psychological pressures due to broken family systems and stress at work place etc. Is the situation different for the Catholic youth?

I met a few Catholic youth two months ago. They were born in traditional Catholic families, brought up in a religious environment, attended Sunday classes in their parishes and Catechism in their schools. Yet, they are disillusioned to be part of the Catholic Church.

The major reasons given by them are meaningless ritualism, names’ sake festival/feast celebrations with extravaganza, dictatorial attitude of the clergy, lack of importance to youth and the laity, absence of transparency in parish/diocesan administration and the growing clerical sexual abuses.

Pope’s message: On the occasion of the World Youth Day, youth from different countries had assembled at Rio De Janeiro in Brazil from July 23 to 28 in 2013. Pope Francis gave them a clear message: “What is it that I expect as a consequence of World Youth Day? I want a mess. I want trouble in the dioceses. I want to see the local church getting closer to the people. I want to get rid of clericalism, the mundane, this closing ourselves off within ourselves, in our parishes, schools or structures. These need to get out!”

He further said, “No one can remain insensitive to the inequalities that persist in the world. No amount of peace-building will be able to last, nor will harmony and happiness be attained in a society that ignores, pushes to the margins or excludes a part of itself. You are often disappointed by facts that speak of corruption on the part of people who put their own interests before the common good. To you and all, I repeat: Never yield to discouragement, do not lose trust and do not allow your hope to be extinguished.”

Pope Francis blasted the “culture of selfishness and individualism” that is widespread in the society even today, demanding that those with money and power share their wealth and resources to fight hunger and poverty. Francis is not just a preacher. He has been practicing the values of sincerity, simplicity, accountability, transparency, responsibility, commitment, compassion, concern and empathy for the socially and economically marginalized people and spirit of service.

Possible changes: By saying, “I want a mess and I want trouble in the dioceses” did Francis mean anything negative? He said it because he believes in the youth power and knows that they will have to lead the Church in future. Now the youth need to interpret Pope’s words positively and consider his clear mandate. The youth must focus on two tasks namely ‘personal transformation’ and ‘social transformation’.

Leadership: The Church leaders in India must take the Pope’s mandate to the youth seriously. They need to encourage the youth to bring about the desired changes and the expected transformation in the dioceses. Their main role is to facilitate this process and help the youth to become catalysts of change.

The following suggestions could be considered by the youth to bring about positive changes in their parishes/dioceses. Note: These suggestions are made to the youth and hence ‘you’ means the ‘youth’. ‘They’ or ‘them’ mean parish/diocesan administrators.

 Urge them to include you in the planning/decision-making committees in order to implement integrated developmental projects to benefit the poorest of the poor.
 Help them to use the available church properties to generate income. The main focus needs to be on ‘local resource mobilization’ through various ways to make the parish/diocese become ‘self-reliant’.
 Ensure that they do not invest money in mega-building projects like palatial types of churches/presbyteries/bishop’s houses/institutions. If there is a dire need of a new building, then, suggest them to opt for simple, green/eco-friendly, low-cost and multi-purpose constructions to benefit the people.
 Insist the diocesan administration on ‘transparency’. Let them to circulate the Annual Report of the diocese with the Audited Accounts among all parishes and parish councils so that the laity is aware of the financial position of the diocese. Similarly, make sure that every parish declares its annual audited accounts to the parish people. This will strengthen the credibility of the parish/diocese.
 Take an active role in the ‘liturgical Committee’. Make sure that all liturgical celebrations are simplified, participatory and meaningful, appropriate to our culture to enable people to become true “followers of Christ” and not just remain as pious worshipping Christians.
 Make sure that all types of extravaganzas during festival times and on the occasions of jubilee like decorations, illuminations, fire-works, carols, car processions, cultural programs, food-fests and multi-cuisine meals etc. are stopped or at least minimized.
 On these occasions you need to plan for free health/blood donation camps, awareness sessions on organ donation, construction of low-cost houses for a few selected homeless families, distribution of education materials to economically poor students and medical aid to differently-abled persons etc. in order to make the festival more meaningful, memorable and having long-lasting impact. This will help people to make a “paradigm shift” from religiosity to spirituality.
 The youth committee together with the parish council could introduce ‘Annual Performance Appraisal’ system for the parish priest so that he becomes more responsible in his work and accountable for everything he does in the parish. The same could be done for the bishop too. Stringent actions could be initiated against those priests/religious involved in financial corruption, sex abuse/sex scandals. This will pave way to maintain the credibility of the church.

Call from Swami Vivekananda: “Your duty at present is to go from one part of the country to another, and from village to village and make the people understand their real situation. Throw open all the windows and doors of your room. In your quarter, there are lots of people sunk in degradation and misery. You will have to go to them and serve them with all your zeal and enthusiasm. India will awake when hundreds of young men and women, giving up all desires of enjoying the luxuries of life, will exert themselves to their utmost, for the well-being of the millions of the people who are gradually sinking lower and lower in the vortex of destitution and ignorance. Arise, Awake and Stop not till the goal is reached!”