Peter Novecosky, OSB

Youth speak to Pope Benedict

Critics note that leaders of church and society can easily become isolated in their ivory towers and unaware of the mundane concerns people face in their everyday lives. This divide often separates bishops, politicians, judges, professors and a host of other leaders from the people they are called to serve.

In his trip to Malta Pope Benedict met with 40,000 young people along the Valletta waterfront April 18. Five young Maltese men and women spoke to the pope about their hopes and fears as well as the contradictions they feel within the church community.

One young man pulled no punches when he had his chance to speak to the pope. He spoke directly from his heart, and it is worthwhile to recall the issues young people experience:

“I wish to speak on behalf of those young people who, like me feel they are on the outskirts of the church,” he said. “We are the ones who do not fit comfortably into stereotyped roles. This is due to various factors.” We have experienced substance abuse; we are experiencing the misfortune of broken or dysfunctional families; we are of a different sexual orientation; we are immigrant brothers and sisters. All of us in some way or another have encountered experiences that have estranged us from the church.

“Other Catholics put us all in one basket. For them we are those ‘who claim to believe yet do not live up to the commitment of faith.’ To us, faith is a confusing reality and this causes us great suffering. We feel that not even the church herself recognizes our worth. One of our deepest wounds stems from the fact that although the political forces are prepared to realize our desire for integration, the church community still considers us to be a problem.

“It seems almost as if we are less readily accepted and treated with dignity by the Christian community than we are by all other members of society. We understand that our way of life puts the church in an ambiguous position, yet we feel that we should be treated with more compassion — without being judged and with more love.

“We are made to feel that we are living in error. This lack of comprehension on the part of other Christians causes us to entertain grave doubts, not only with regards to community life, but also regarding our personal relationship with God. How can we believe that God accepts us unconditionally when his own people reject us?

“It is not that easy for us to proclaim God as our Father, a God who responds to all those who love him without prejudice. It is a contradiction in terms when we bless God’s Holy Name, whilst those around us make us feel that we are worth nothing to him.

“We feel as if we have not been invited to the banquet. God has called to him all those who are in the squares and in the towns, those who are on the wayside and in the countryside; however, we feel he has bypassed our streets.

“Your Holiness, please tell us what exactly is Jesus’ call for us. . . . Your Holiness, what must we do?”

These questions concern not just the pope; each parent, youth leader or Christian faces the same challenge. This is where the rubber hits the road on a daily basis.

Pope Benedict’s reply, in part, was: “God rejects no one. And the church rejects no one. Yet in his great love, God challenges all of us to change and to become more perfect.” Love indeed has the power to transform. But many today do not experience it.