"We have been hearing what they want to say to us, their bishops, of their hopes and dreams for themselves, the Church and the world," he writes.

Reflecting on the experience of listening to the hope and aspirations of the young people Lowe writes:

"Our young people live in a very complex world.

But as Church, we are called to be like the father in the parable who never gives up, who always goes out to his sons, and who always holds them in his heart and embrace no matter what.

This is the first call of the Church where the relationship that has primacy.

Behaviour changes when divine love in encountered as is attested to in the testimonies above.

We must never lose sight of the love God has for us. So as Church we must truly love with the heart of the Father.

But it also means, as sons and daughters of the Church, that we have to have hearts that are open to receive the Father's love. The perfection of unconditional love is found in giving and receiving, not just one or the other.

It strikes me more and more that all of our hearts need reforming so that in and through us Christ might transform the world."

Lowe says he has been moved by hearing the stories of young people enduring extraordinary hardships.

"But at the same time, we have been hearing about young people with great spirit, who are alive in their faith and service, who put their faith into action with so much joy and enthusiasm."

Click here to read more on Bishop Steve's Facebook page

Source

• facebook.com
• Image: facebook.com

He is pictured above in St Peter's Square, on the opening day, with a diocesan priest of New Caledonia, Fr Jean-Paul Pouillet, who is having a 3-week break in France.

"A great honour for him and the whole Archdiocese of Noumea!" said Marist priest François Grossin.

Païta is a city in New Caledonia, a little north-west of Noumea, the country's capital.

Lamataki is one of many young people from all over the world attending the Synod on Youth, Faith and Vocational Discernment at the Vatican.

Some 34 young people have been invited to attend the gathering, and each will have the opportunity to give a brief, 4-minute reflection along with the cardinals and other bishops participating.

The Synod began with opening speeches at the plenary session in the Synod Hall in the Vatican.

Of the speeches given on the first day, 25 came from synod fathers, and one from a young American woman, Briana Regina Santiago, who is a member of the lay community of the Apostles of the Interior Life.

The atmosphere was described as "open and lively," thanks mainly to the presence of young people who readily - and sometimes noisily - expressed their approval, and to the pope's availability during the breaks.

Already two main tendencies can be discerned within the Synod.

• Some believe that the Church must change its way of being, in order to reach out towards young people
• Others believe that the way to reach young people is not by flattering them or going along with what they want, but rather by reaffirming the Church's teachings

The dominant theme seems to be the need for authenticity on the Church's part.

"Young people want us to be witnesses of the Gospel through our actions rather than our words," pointed out Cardinal José Tissera of Quilmes from Argentina.

The speech of one of the synod fathers made a particular impression.

In a moving tone, he directly addressed the young people asking forgiveness for the Church's failings towards them, with sexual abuse being the main one of these shortcomings.

Source

• Supplied: François Grossin.
• international.la-croix.com
• cruxnow.com
• Image: Supplied

Chaput (who is the Archbishop of Philadelphia), says the critique "is one person's analysis; others may disagree.

"But it is substantive enough to warrant much wider consideration and discussion as bishop-delegates prepare to engage the synod's theme."

The critique highlights what the theologian sees as five principal theological difficulties in 'Instrumentum Laboris' - the working document for the Synod on Young People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment.

He says the analysis warns that Instrumentum veers dangerously close to heresy - specifically the heresies of naturalism, Lutheranism and relativism.

These involve naturalism, an inadequate grasp of the Church's spiritual authority, a partial theological anthropology, a relativistic conception of vocation and an impoverished understanding of Christian joy.

It also says Instrumentum "displays a pervasive focus on socio-cultural elements to the exclusion of deeper religious and moral issues," and "expresses a desire to examine reality through the faith and experience of the Church, while "regrettably fail[ing] to do so."

The critique also claims Instrumentum exhibits an "inadequate grasp of the Church's spiritual authority," denying her role as a teaching authority.

According to Instrumentum: "The Church will opt for dialogue as her style and method… No vocation, especially within the Church, can be placed outside this ongoing dynamism of dialogue."

The critique says this amounts to saying: "The Church does not possess the truth but must take its place alongside other voices.

"Were the Church to abandon her ministry of preaching, that is, were the roles of the teaching Church and the listening Church to be inverted, the hierarchy itself would be inverted and the ministerial priesthood would collapse into the baptismal priesthood.

"In short, we would become Lutherans."

The anonymous theologian finishes the critique by accusing Instrumentum of taking a "relativistic conception of vocation."

He quotes references in Instrumentum about "personal holiness" and one's "own truth," adding: "This is relativism."

He warns against the "false humility" of prioritising "accompaniment" over that of preaching.

This, he says, "gives the impression that absolute truth is not found in God."

Source

• Catholic News Agency
• Catholic Herald
• Image: iglesiadesantiago.cl

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He will have the opportunity to speak to the hierarchy of the Church for four minutes, condensing experiences from his youth ministry work that take him around Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific. Read more