VATICAN CITY, OCTOBER 12 2018, (CISA)- Bishop Willem Christiaans of the Catholic Diocese of Keetmanshoop Namibia, has observed that young people are lacking people who can listen to them, to help them find direction and meaning in their lives.
“We don’t really find time to listen to our young people, when they want to come and see us to talk about their lives and any other things, we are often so busy. It has been a wakeup call for me that we truly need to tackle that area seriously. Find time to listen to young people, despite the busy schedules that many of us have” he said.
The bishop was speaking to Vatican news on the sidelines of the ongoing Synod on Young People, where he noted that, “Listening to the young people,” is an issue that has come up strongly during the sessions.
“Despite the technological steps being made, and everything else, young people are looking for a certain part in their deeper inner being that is the quiet part, where they are looking to make their life meaningful,” Bishop Christiaans noted.
He recommended that among the clergy, religious and laity in the dioceses, it is important that there be people who ‘get’ the young people and can walk with them in their journey of faith.
“At this very moment in the life of the country, there are many of our young people who are actually looking for ways and means to be truly part of the Church, and if we don’t offer it to them, certainly they will leave and join the other churches, most especially, the Pentecostal churches.
The Synod on Young people, the faith and vocational discernment started on October 3 and is expected to end on October 28.
