Catholic Council of India Study Youth, Current Concerns

NEW DELHI, Jan. 13, 2010, 15.20 Hrs (CBCI News):

Christians must strive to make the church a living force and work towards transforming the world, said Cardinal Telesphore P.Toppo, Archbishop of Ranchi, and former president of the CBCI. He was inaugurating the 10th General Assembly of the Catholic Council of India, the apex body of the Catholic Church in India consisting of representatives of the CBCI, CRI, various national Catholic organisations and lay leaders at Pallotine Animation Centre, Nagpur, January 9-12. Some 250 people representing 160 dioceses in India attended the meeting.

Speaking on the major theme of youth which the assembly chose for study, the Cardinal said “the youth as gift of God. They are our sons and daughters; they are not a problem but our strength. Everyone must accept responsibility to take care of them.” Urging the members of the CCI to be agents of change in society, the Cardinal said, “society will not be transformed by laws, but by people who are led by the power of God under the guidance of the Spirit.”

Archbishop Cleemis Mar Baselios, CBCI Vice President addressing the gathering said, youth are the source of dynamism in the church but are also affected by the maladies of our times such as conflict, terrorism and violence. A soulless culture, consumerism and a counter-culture are swaying the young and it is important to help them live the gospel and to deepen and enlighten their convictions. Youth must be at the heart of the church and must enjoy the confidence of the hierarchy and the elders, he added. The church in India can be strengthened only when we are able to give courageous witness to Christ and by living the values of the gospel.

A number of youth leaders from the Indian Catholic Youth Movement (ICYM), Jesus Youth, AICUF, YCS and other youth movements and organisations attended the meeting.