Name: Obinna James Edeh

An Article by Obinna

THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AND THE CATHOLIC YOUTH

THE MISSING LINK

The Church has been variously described as a universal entity. It has been called the Mother, nay the grant Mother, a conglomerate of people who has been aspiring or are willing to live a life of Christianity and more deeply, a life of sainthood.

A youth on the other hand is a person who has not attained the age of 30, and who is not below 18. What this means is that a person between 18-30 years of age is a youth. I have tried to spare us the dictionary meaning of a youth because that will not be all encompassing, neither will it give credence to the topic under review.

The concept of Catholicism and in a more homely phrase, the Catholic Church, has always been associated with rigidity, conformity to norms and precepts. Following the papal encyclicals and the magisterium, the doctrines and writings has always flowed from the same tradition and flexibility, radicality, and avowed charismatic changes are seldom accepted, and when they are, they are modified to fall into the laid down canonical rules of the church.

However, it is clear fact that the air of changes both scientifically and technologically that has swept through the world like a revolution that even the church with its avowed rigidity is somehow giving way to a necessary flexibility.

In the midst of this seeming confusion, there is a person who finds it difficult to conform or reconcile his rigid catholic faith and the unabashed flexibility that science has brought into the world.

He finds it hard to reconcile the belief in the trinity, the exigencies, the canonical laws and papal encyclicals with the modern scientific ideas that encourages one to think, to probe into answers which were hitherto referred to as changeless truth. The untiring mind of the youth tries to find out why the church barns contraceptives, why the church abhors family planning, why the church is against protection as opposed to abstinence and why the celibacy is still being held so tight centuries after the doctrine was laid?

Furthermore, the more puzzling aspect is why is information in the church held so discreet and secret to a very ludicrous level? Why are priests so much apart and unreachable to the congregation? Why cant the youth have opportunities to talk with the and ask him some pressing problems? Why are the youths not brought into the mainstream of the laity or the church for him to appreciate the effect of the mysteries that flows from the sanctuary? The second Vatican council, what provisions did it make for the youth?

The effect of misinformation or lack of information for the youth is that he is much more confused, as his radical mind cannot accept ready-made answers.

The Church is called upon to make more effect in integrating the youth much more into the main stream of the church.

The setting of a prelature or prefecture for the youth in the Vatican would be a good start.

The youth remains the greatest asset of the mother church and the church has to harness the untapped treasure. Efforts should be made, both at the diocesan and even at the parish level to get retreats, seminars, symposia for the youth of the church.

The priests are to make themselves unavailable to these young minds in other to enable them have a one-on-one talk with those who have the responsibility of oiling their faith.