“We want to bring the light of the Gospel to all, to be witnesses of Jesus’ love, going beyond our own environments to reach those furthest away.” With these words, Guilherme Baboni, a 26-year-old from Brazil, describes his enthusiasm for the 11th International Youth Forum hosted by the Catholic Church’s Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, last June 19-22, in Ciampino, near Rome.
Effectively a continuation of last October’s Synod of Bishops on the Youth in the Church, it was a meeting of 250 youths from 18 to 29 years old, representing 109 different countries and 37 ecclesial communities and movements.
They focused on the Pope’s recent “Apostolic Exhortation” for all youth, the document Christus Vivit. Guilherme, representing the Focolare at the forum, reflected, “The image of the Church is often that of an old, dying institution, out of touch with real life.
However, at the Forum we experienced a living, creative, universal Church, formed by many youths who have encountered Jesus in their lives. Moved by the Holy Spirit, we young people want to bring the light of the Gospel to others, whatever their age. We see a Church with many different forces within it, working together to achieve this aim.”
What specific contribution can young people give to the life of the Church?
Young people bring energy and dynamism. As Pope Francis emphasized during the Synod on the Youth last year, being young is, above all, a state of mind, possessing an energy that comes from within, a desire to change things and to bring “fire” to the earth.
Pope Francis is encouraging the Church to journey together, to act as a “Synodal Church.” What does that mean for you?
For me, it’s an outward-looking Church, which reaches out to people, ready to welcome and accompany everyone. It’s not enough for the Church to keep her doors open, she must actually change direction and go out to the people, especially to those who are far away from her.
As a young person, what does it mean to be an expression of an outward-looking Church?
It means being a witness through my own actions, in my family, with my friends,
at school or at work. It’s not so much about talking, I can do that later, but what’s important is to be a shining and living example of the Gospel. Only in this way will people around notice anything distinctive about my behavior and want to know my motivation. That’s the moment to speak to them about God.
Do you think there is a specific contribution that the Focolare Movement can make towards our becoming a more “Synodal Church”?
Pope Francis is asking us young people to be examples of unity in a divided world. This example of unity is precisely what the Focolare Movement can contribute, born as it is from the charism of unity communicated to us through Chiara Lubich.
This desire to bring the light of the love of God to everyone is an expression of the Movement’s spirituality, and it can, I believe, be a light not only for Catholics, but for all Christians and the faithful of other religions, as well as for those without religious affiliation.
The Forum focused a lot on the Pope’s “Christus Vivit” document. Did you make any resolutions on how it may be implemented in the Church?
As young people, we pledged to work creatively with the Church in order to bring the content of this document to all; every Movement expressing its particular charism, each group with its own specific contribution to make. We move as different parts of the one body of the living Church.
How do you see the contribution of the Focolare Movement in implementing “Christus Vivit”?
It can contribute by listening to young people, enabling them to be protagonists. This is not something new for the Movement. For example, the forthcoming Focolare Youth Assembly is being prepared as an opportunity to listen to young people and promote our initiatives.
Every year, the Focolare promotes a “United World Week” of youth activities around the world to facilitate experiences of unity and Gospel-inspired love. Pope Francis emphasized the importance of ‘accompanying’ young people.
And earlier this year, the Focolare held its first training program on “accompanying people” throughout the various stages and states of life. It was held in Castelgandolfo, near Rome, and attended by 500 participants from 60 different countries.
