By C.M. Paul
Siliguri, October 26, 2026: Across the world, young people have often been at the forefront of movements for freedom and human dignity.
In Haiti, Salesian priest Jean-Bertrand Aristide became a powerful voice against dictatorship, corruption, and social injustice. In East Timor, Salesian Archbishop Carlos Ximenes Belo helped keep alive the hopes of a people seeking freedom and self-determination through moral leadership and defense of human rights.
During the communist era in Poland, Salesian schools, parishes, and youth centers helped preserve religious freedom, cultural identity, and civil society.
Many Salesians supported the moral awakening that culminated in the Solidarity movement led by Lech Wałęsa. While not political leaders themselves, Salesians contributed significantly to the formation of young people who resisted totalitarian ideology.
Chile offers another example. During the military regime of Augusto Pinochet, Salesian educators and pastoral workers were involved in defending human rights, supporting vulnerable communities, and promoting social justice through educational and youth ministries.
Brazil witnessed a strong Salesian commitment to the rights of street children, indigenous peoples, and marginalized youth during periods of military rule and social inequality. Many Salesian institutions became centers of social awareness and citizenship formation.
Paraguay under the dictatorship of Alfredo Stroessner also saw Salesians accompanying youth and promoting civic and human development through education and pastoral work.
In South Africa, while the Salesians were not among the primary leaders of the anti-apartheid struggle, Salesian schools and youth ministries contributed to racial reconciliation, education, and empowerment in communities affected by apartheid.
Closer to India, Myanmar presents a contemporary example. Salesians continue to provide education, humanitarian assistance, and pastoral support amid conflict and political instability, accompanying young people whose aspirations for democracy and human rights remain under pressure.
What is striking in all these cases is that Salesians rarely led political movements directly. Their distinctive contribution has usually been threefold: educating youth, defending human dignity, and creating spaces where freedom can be imagined and lived long before it is achieved politically.
This suggests an interesting historical insight for India. The Salesian model has seldom been that of a revolutionary vanguard.
Rather, it has been what Pope Francis calls a “culture of encounter” where schools, youth centers, technical institutes, and parishes become incubators of responsible citizenship. The real Salesian contribution to freedom has generally been the formation of conscience.
India’s Gen Z generation is engaged in a different struggle. It is not a battle for national independence but a quest for dignity, participation, transparency, employment, environmental responsibility, freedom of conscience, and accountable governance.
Their protests and advocacy often emerge from concerns about inequality, social polarization, corruption, mental health, climate change, and the future of democracy.
What should be the Salesian response?
The answer lies in the life and mission of Don Bosco. He did not lead political revolutions. He formed young people capable of transforming society. His vision of creating “good Christians and honest citizens” remains remarkably relevant in contemporary India.
The first task of Salesians is to listen. Many young people feel unheard by institutions, including religious institutions. Salesian schools, colleges, youth centres, and parishes must become spaces where young people can freely express their concerns, aspirations, frustrations, and dreams without fear of judgment.
Secondly, Salesians must strengthen the formation of ethical and critically thinking citizens.
In an age marked by misinformation and ideological polarization, young people need guidance in constitutional values, human rights, social responsibility, media literacy, and nonviolent civic engagement. The ability to distinguish truth from propaganda is itself a service to democracy.
Salesians must also stand visibly with the marginalized. Young people respond to authenticity. The Church becomes credible when it is seen defending the rights and dignity of tribal communities, migrant workers, women facing violence, refugees, street children, and all those pushed to the margins of society.
At the same time, Salesians should encourage responsible activism rather than passive conformity. Don Bosco formed leaders, not spectators.
Youth should be inspired to engage in social service, environmental action, anti-corruption initiatives, voter awareness campaigns, and community-building efforts rooted in dialogue and democratic values.
The digital world also demands renewed Salesian presence. Much of Gen Z’s search for identity, freedom, and justice unfolds online. Salesian educators and communicators need to accompany young people in these spaces with reasoned dialogue, hope-filled narratives, and ethical reflection.
The examples of Carlos Ximenes Belo and Jean-Bertrand Aristide offer an important lesson.
Their influence arose not from political ambition but from moral credibility, solidarity with ordinary people, and the courage to defend human dignity. The challenge for Salesians in India is not to replicate their political roles but to embody their pastoral courage.
The Salesian mission in today’s India is therefore clear: not to lead a political movement, but to accompany a generation searching for freedom and meaning.
By listening to young people, educating them in truth and responsibility, and standing alongside the vulnerable, Salesians can help shape a new generation of leaders committed to building a more just, humane, and democratic India.
(Photo courtesy Bosco News Service)