Solve the problems they themselves identify.
My confidence level isn’t high in anyone my age or younger to speak of matters related to catechesis, theology, or scriptural exegesis.
From the pre-synod preparatory document:
Do we need them to solve the problems, or simply identify them? Because I think there’s still a lot of merit to being able to identify problems for someone else to solve.
What specific problem. Would you have an example?
How many decades removed are you from today’s youth? I know you have kids yourself, it can’t be that many.
Ok.
I didn’t say the adults have “no idea”. I’m saying that the Church has no means to understand its young people better than the means of asking them and talking to them. And you will never get a young person to share openly with you if you don’t tell them that their opinion matters, and that they can be a part of making some important changes. And you obviously can’t say that as a lie – it has to be true.
This is a bit like a mother saying, “We’ve been trying to feed these toddlers so long, and they keep throwing the food off their plate. Let’s starve them instead.” It misunderstands the role of a mother, and thinks that sometimes a mother ought to stop nourishing – when in reality, nourishing is precisely what the mother is there for.
This statement is a massive overgeneralization.
Did you read the pre-synodal document?
Being a witness to 1970’s+ catechismal efforts.
Come now. Surely you can engage with what a person writes rather than attempting some sort of shabby psychoanalysis. I work daily with those in the youth category as determined by the Vatican. Of course some have good ideas. That isn’t what’s in question here.
Taken from an economic viewpoint, I can see why some folks in the Vatican lose sleep at night over young people leaving the church.The young people of today are the bill-payers of tomorrow, and in an operation with such an incredible overhead like the Catholic Church, that is something that has to be taken into account by prudent managers.
That is the most sense, to me, that one might make of this.gracepoole:
Taken from an economic viewpoint, I can see why some folks in the Vatican lose sleep at night over young people leaving the church.The young people of today are the bill-payers of tomorrow, and in an operation with such an incredible overhead like the Catholic Church, that is something that has to be taken into account by prudent managers.
And again, from a purely economic standpoint, it’s cold comfort that the Church is growing in Africa. Dioceses in this region are massive cash sinks, highly dependent on cash flow from western countries, especially the US and Germany, where the pool of potential future donors is rapidly drying up.
I don’t think that this synod is going to go very far in slowing down defections. I think everyone is aware that it’s more of a token publicity move.
Grace, I think you must have misread what I said. I did not create a straw man. I fully recognized that you may well support conversations with young people about the Church. That’s why I specifically said I was supporting conversations advancing changes that will matter. I have gathered that you seem to oppose those sorts of conversations with young people.
Permanently? No way.
I certainly never said it did.
He is always there, at work to satisfy our needs. That is not my opinion; it is the constant teaching of the Church.
I would prefer not to assume what aspect of the document another takes issue with, I would prefer to discuss specific points.
The more I read on CAF, the more I get the idea that the 70’s , in the States, were a pretty crazy place.
Well given you work daily with youth, state what you find problematic . Otherwise , yes, my conclusion is one of. ‘ why cant she vocalise, or in this case, type, specifics’.
Sorry. I was referring to the document because in it, the youths who gathered in March identified what they see as issues in the Church that need to be addressed. Whatever any of us thinks about the problems we might see, those identified in the document are those that are central here.
Yeah, not pretty. Just really watered down catechism. Feel good, let’s-make-banners-and-color kind of stuff. Perhaps this isn’t true for everyone who grew up during this period. For me and mine, however, it definitely was typical. The amount I didn’t know about the faith until adulthood is rather stunning, especially given that I went to Catholic schools. I do have good memories and I’m still Catholic, so that’s something significant. Just a whole lot I didn’t learn that I think I should have learned.
You are to be envied!
I did try to do so earlier. I work with some of the most committed, passionate young people around. They consistently inspire me. Yet they have A LOT of growing and learning to do. They need A LOT of guidance. And often, their views (while certainly enthusiastic and full of passion) are uneducated. They’re prone to being capricious and inconsistent. While some adults share these traits, these traits are expected of youth because they’re so common.