AMERICA - Appeal to young people: “Our time has come! Our commitment is the transformation of society and the construction of the civilization of love”

Thursday, 9 February 2023 celam youth pastoral

AMERICA

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Bogotà (Agenzia Fiudes) - "We want to express our feeling of closeness to the young people of Peru, Haiti, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Mexico and other countries of the continent; to those who have been suffering the ravages of socio-political conflicts in their countries, with disastrous consequences for their lives": say the members of the Latin American and Caribbean Youth Ministry Team, in a video message addressed to the young people of the continent, after the meeting held at CELAM at the end of January and a series of meetings with various protagonists of society and the Church on the continent.
"We want to ensure our closeness to young people who are part of the marginalized minorities in our countries", that is to say, to young people who have been violated, to migrants, to those who experience sexual diversity, to indigenous peoples: all realities that afflict us and invite us to "get out of ourselves".
Many young people have gone through the most painful period of their lives during these years of the pandemic, where they have confronted themselves, reviewing their dreams, illusions, goals, says the representative of Colombia. “Without a doubt we have discovered that the best way to overcome this moment is to remain united – underlines Monsignor Jorge Lozano, Secretary General of CELAM -. As Pope Francis has said "one does not get out of the crisis alone, one gets out by risking and taking others by the hand". This attitude speaks to us of love, which is expressed in concrete actions, in daily life, which we must be able to look at with the eyes of God, considering the other "sacred land".
With the intention of offering "a breath of fresh air" and helping them to progress as "transformers of society", the members of the Team assure the young people of the continent: "You are not alone! We want to walk with you!". And then they make a final appeal: "Young people, our time has come! Our main commitment is the transformation of society and the construction of the civilization of love".
The note issued by CELAM includes a comment from Msgr. Pierre Jubinville, Bishop of San Pedro in Paraguay, who assures that from this meeting arises the need to share what has been experienced with the teams of the countries. "I think it is like a result, a research, a discernment that we have been doing for some time as a team on how to animate youth ministry throughout the continent and from the moment we arrived there was a consensus on a pastoral care of outgoing youth, open to experience in the peripheries, contemplatives, deeply anchored in an experience of faith and of discovering the face of Christ in the most distant, in the marginalized, in the suffering".
The Latin American and Caribbean Youth Ministry Team is made up of delegates from the various regions, from some consultants and representatives (from the Network of Institutes for Youth Ministry, the Youth Network of Religions for Peace, the Commission for Projects and Interinstitutional Relations), by Bishops Pierre Jubinville of San Pedro in Paraguay, and Oswaldo Estefano Escobar of Chalatenango in El Salvador, and by the representatives of CELAM: Msgr. Jorge Lozano, Secretary General, and Father Fabio Antunes Do Nascimento Srio, of the General Secretariat. (SL) (Agenzia Fides, 9/2/2023)