Upcoming Synod & Youth

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That is what I see in all this resistance. Every article shared has painted some “doom & gloom” portrait of the Church capitulating to modern society. It’s not going to happen. We can’t even start discussions unless we know where the other side is coming from. Hence, the Synod. It’s a very good thing.
 
We know what the Church teaches. The concern, at least it seems to me, is what the pre-Synod meetings has brought up.
Unless we know what those who are not on board with Church teaching think, how are we ever going to be able to evagelize and catechise?
 
  1. Is the pre-synod document saying, then, that Church teaching should change?
  2. Is the synod being convened so the youth of the Church can tell Her which dogmatic teachings should change?
If the answer to either of these questions is yes, nothing positive will come from this. It’s no mystery which teachings some want changed. We don’t need to gather youths together to tell the Church this and it’s disingenuous to pretend that what they say about dogmatic teachings changing will actually result in any change.
 
Nelsony said:
I pray for the Pope daily, but this does not prevent me from fighting against his heresies.
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I see that you are new here. FYI, posting statements like that about Pope Francis is against forum rules. Please read them.
 
A couple of excerpts from the First Things article:

“This document is an obvious counterfeit, an old man’s idea of what the young must want. He thinks they want what he did.”

“But never mind what the young really want. No youthful assembly, however representative, or pious, could help a church that has to consult a focus group before it is able to preach.”

Will the youth synod be co-opted by old men whose thinking may not be in line with the Church?
 
Prodigal_Son said:
A huge number of Catholics will tell people who are gay or people who experience transgender issues to just not talk about it – that talking about it will “encourage it”. If the Church spoke definitively on the need for more light and more conversation, there would be a basis for people to say, “I speak openly about these things because the Church teaches me to.”
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That was my thought as well.

There is also a lot of room to move beyond simply reiterating official teaching. For example, many people with SSA want more than just “acting on same sex attractions is wrong.” We’re in a culture that promotes sexual relationships as the model for having fulfilling relationships as an adult. People with SSA are going to look for a new model from the church that has more to it than just what not to do.
 
gracepoole said:
And what if the youth tell us that women should be ordained? Or same-sex marriage should be accepted by the Church? Or the focus on confession should be minimized because it makes people feel uncomfortable? None of that has to do with “what we don’t want to hear.” It has to do with uncatechized youth and what unreasonable expectations they might have.
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This is not a political party where different sections of people clamoring for the rights of their interest. These are our youth, our Church.

Not sure how much you people have experience with the youth but they are not separate body who want different things. They are part of the Church and most likely in this sort of conference or synod, they would want to address youth issues so that they could be strong vibrant youth of our Church.

The Vatican do not need to accede to their demand if it is against the Church, if at all that happens but which is very unlikely.

Remember the youth are consist of all Catholic youth over the world, not just the U.S. or even the West. Any heresy would be quickly exposed by youth groups who are better catechised and more knowledgeable in the doctrines and practices of the Church.

We should not look down on our youth. They are very much a group within the Catholic Church, just like any others, including the clergy. What they need more is our support.

God bless.
 
Reuben_J said:
We should not look down on our youth. They are very much a group within the Catholic Church, just like any others, including the clergy. What they need more is our support.
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They are also, presumably, where we’re going to get our clergy for the future.
 
I don’t think anyone here is “looking down on our youth.” Instead, I think some are wary of idolizing the youth. We should listen to all members of the Church. Yet it also seems prudent to recognize that asking the Church’s youth (who are, again, typically very poorly catechized) to solve the Church’s problems is at least potentially really naive. I ask for my children’s (name removed by moderator)ut into our family’s activities. I don’t ask them to solve our family’s adult problems simply because cognitively, they cannot.
 
Prodigal_Son said:
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gracepoole:
cognitively, they cannot
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Do you say the same of 20 year olds?
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I would comfortably say that asking my 20-year-old student to teach one of my college classes would be naive. I would, however, ask my senior colleagues for advice. I don’t turn to my children (even at the age of 20) to solve problems in my marriage. I may, however, turn to my parents and grandparents for advice. This is just a truth of life. Those who are older typically have greater amounts of varied experience and knowledge. The youth are essential to the future. Yet they must be trained.
 
gracepoole said:
I would comfortably say that asking my 20-year-old student to teach one of my college classes would be naive. I would, however, ask my senior colleagues for advice. I don’t turn to my children (even at the age of 20) to solve problems in my marriage. I may, however, turn to my parents and grandparents for advice. This is just a truth of life. Those who are older typically have greater amounts of varied experience and knowledge. The youth are essential to the future. Yet they must be trained.
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Adults do not know what is going on among the youth. You can be the cleverist detective ever, but if you do not talk to witnesses, you will be worthless. You can be the best doctor ever, but if you don’t “ask them where it hurts”, you might as well be bleeding the patient.

We need to know what the young people are experiencing. Do we know? Of course not. Do we understand why they are committing suicide, why they think that destroying gender norms in their own lives is a good option, why they are cutting their wrists in alarming numbers, and why they aren’t satisfied by our attempts to guide them? Do we understand that? Of course we don’t. We don’t have a clue.

My grandmother always said, “You don’t ask, you don’t know.” We haven’t asked. And we certainly don’t know.
 
Yet asking and finding out may not equal a solution. Yes, the youth can tell us about the problems they’re experiencing. Why assume they know the answer to these problems?

I’m curious, too. What in the pre-synodal document took you by surprise? Is it really true to say that “adults do not know what is going on among the youth”? I’d wager it’s not, just as it’s not true to say that youth have no idea what’s going on among adults.
 
I’m sorry if this doesn’t sound very kind but many youth rightly or wrongly aren’t interested in being lectured by older adults who don’t want to listen and don’t even try to understand or to empathize with them. Some of my most valuable formation from older adults has been with those who are prepared to consider my perspective rather than just take for granted that I am a younger version of their own generation.

I can only speak for myself but growing up I came across plenty of people older than myself whose behavior and conduct was certainly nothing to write home about. I can’t respect people purely based on age.

I don’t think the church should change it’s teaching to please the world but there are some points about the experience of young people I think are pretty accurate.
 
Many older people lack life experience that is relevant to the lives of younger people.
 
Knowledge and experience to do what, decide what, exactly.

Can you specifically state one issue that you have no confidence in catholic youth.

And what age group?

We were all about youth this morning for Good Shepherd Sunday. Even had young seminarians talking to us during the Homily.
 
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