The idea is that of Canadian philosopher Charles Taylor, who was one of the main speakers at an international conference on Church renewal in Rome this month.

According to a Catholic News Service report, much of the conversation at the conference, held at the Pontifical Gregorian University, dwelt on Taylor's ideas.

The seekers - baptised Christians or not - continue to question, the report stated.

The dwellers have found a home in a church and may have a tendency to nest there so thoroughly that they seldom reach out to others and only accept those who believe exactly as they do.

Msgr Tomas Halik, a Czech professor of sociology, said God is present in the seekers and the seeking.

In addition to its two traditional tasks of providing pastoral care to Catholics and missionary outreach to those who have not heard of Christ, the Church needs to add a third task - "accompanying seekers", Msgr Halik said.

"We cannot be just arrogant owners of the truth," he said. "We must be seekers for the seekers, with the seekers."

He said Pope Francis's pastoral approach is essentially a call to all Catholics to reach out to those seeking meaning, truth, beauty and justice.

At the same time, however, it is also an invitation to be willing to learn more about God from the seekers' questions and experience.

Dr Taylor said he sees "immense numbers of young people looking for meaning".

However, with young people and the Church, he said, you see "great hunger on one side" and "great treasures on the other side", but there is an increasing inability to bring the two sides together.

"There's something deeply perverse or stupid or wrong about that," he said.

The Church needs to talk to the seekers, listen to their concerns and figure out how to connect with them, he said.

Sources

• Catholic News Service
• Image: Debating Europe

"The engagement period, is objectively and essentially different from the union of marriage, in that this preparation period does not involve the couple uniting their lives yet." The bishop told journalists: "I personally believe that most young people are capable of understanding this difference and to grasp the value of each of these two moments: the moment when a promise is made and the moment when this promise if fulfilled," Secretary of the Pontifical Council for the Family, Mgr Jean Laffitte said.