Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Dushanbe (Fides Service) - “For the first time young Tajiks will attend World Youth Day events with the Pope and hundreds of thousands of young Christians from all over the world. The Catholic mission in Tajikistan is sending a ‘numerous’ delegation of 8 young people to take part in World Youth Day, this year in Germany 11-21 August. The delegation will be accompanied by Fr Juan Carlos Sack IVE (Institute of the Incarnate Word) and Sr Maria Pocs, of the Servants of the Lord and Our Lady of Matara” said Mission Superior Fr Carlos Avila IVE exlaining that since the mission consists of 245 Catholics among population of 6 million, 8 young delegates is a good number.
“Our young people are similar to those in the rest of the world. But they come from a new Church and they are therefore new in the faith but full of enthusiasm and anxious to know more about the faith they have embraced”. They live in a Muslim country and therefore are called to bear witness to the faith. “It is natural for Christians living among a Muslim majority at times to be afraid to bear witness to the faith, either out of respect for others or for fear of being different. It is easy to be discouraged by obstacles and challenges encountered in daily life at work or at university and to reduce religion to going to church and for this to lead to indifference” Fr. Avila told Fides.
The small Catholic community in Tajikistan was anxious to send some of its young people, the future of the young community, to take part in World Youth Day which represents a “wonderful opportunity to bear witness with thousands of others to the faith received and also to see the spiritual wealth of other young people. This will contribute to the life of our mission and also to the Church’s universal”. In this sense Fr. Carlos says that for the group and for Mission this is a “grace and blessing from God, it will serve to forge deeper bonds of communion with Catholics all over the world, members of local Churches established long ago and of ancient tradition”. The young people will have this wonderful opportunity to see Pope Benedict XVI and listen to his teaching.
To ensure that the fruits of this participation in WYD are plentiful and lasting the young people have been preparing for the event for several months with meetings, conferences and retreats under the guidance of the religious of the Institute of the Incarnate Word: “We know that our young people are the hope of the Church and the world and we want our young people to realise this and to be as Pope John Paul II urged them in Redemptoris Missio encyclical (n. 91): “I therefore address myself to the recently baptized members of the young communities and young churches. Today, you are the hope of this two-thousand-year-old Church of ours: being young in faith, you must be like the first Christians and radiate enthusiasm and courage, in generous devotion to God and neighbor. In a word, you must set yourselves on the path of holiness. Only thus can you be a sign of God in the world and re-live in your own countries the missionary epic of the early Church. You will also be a leaven of missionary spirit for the older churches.”.
Fr Carlos concludes thanking the papal nuncio Archbishop Jozef Wesolowski and other people who helped find the resources necessary to allow the young delegates to travel to Cologne for World Youth Day 2005. (RZ) (Agenzia Fides 25/7/2005 - Righe 43, Parole 616)
