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Kara (Agenzia Fides) - The Synod of Bishops dedicated to young people, to be celebrated in October 2018, will be an important moment for young Africans: "Never before in history was a Synod for young people organized with the creation of structures for communication that allow them a wide margin of expression", declares to Agenzia Fides Fr. Donald Zagore, missionary of the Society of African Missions (SMA) engaged in Togo, in a comment on the long-awaited event also among the youth of the African continent.
"The Church is attentive not only to her young people but to all the young people of every creed. Today no structure, ecclesial or otherwise, can claim to survive in the present world by ignoring the importance and the weight of the young", the priest continues. According to the website of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Research Organization, a study conducted in 2012 showed that out of a world population of about 7 billion people, young people under 30 are 50.5%. It is therefore evident that young people remain a considerable force. The Church, under the guidance of Pope Francis, has understood this, and this also applies to the Churches in African countries".
"Youth is a symbol of the future. This is why closing the door to young people is equivalent to self-planned death", comments Fr. Zagore. "The challenge for the Church in Africa is clear: it must welcome this youth with open arms, with all the questions and all the anguishes it raises, with the lively concern to educate it to discernment".
"Beyond the simple dynamic of a renewal of the bond with its young people, the Church herself wants to find youth with this Synod. An authentic youth, which springs from the source of eternity, from Christ. It is Christ who gives light to go forward. It is in this light that the Church, in Africa and throughout the world, can safely find the youth necessary to face the most difficult issues. In Christ, no matter how old she may be, the Church always maintains her youth", concludes Fr. Zagore. (DZ/AP) (Agenzia Fides, 30/1/2018)
