Scottish Catholic Observer

Of all the people Pope Benedict XVI journeyed to see last September, the young Catholics of Britain hold pride of place. In his addresses at Bellahouston, Hyde Park and outside Westminster Cathedral, the Pope addressed young people directly, encouraging them repeatedly to give their lives to Christ and become saints of the 21st century.

This call to grow in holiness is of course relevant to us all, but it is an essential element in the lives of every young Catholic who desires to live their faith to the full. Reflecting back on those glorious days in September when the Holy Father was with us, it is important to revisit the themes of his visit and endeavour to see what, if anything, has changed amongst the young Catholics of Britain.

I have heard many people comment with disappointment that young people, especially those related to them, are no longer interested in their Faith and fall away. This is of course true, but we should not mistake this apparent lack of interest with a lack of feeling. No young person is lukewarm in his or her opinion of religion. If they appear apathetic, in my experience it takes little coaxing to find out what someone really thinks; normally after a couple of drinks I hasten to add. Whether a fervent Catholic or an ardent atheist, young people are enthusiastic in matters of faith; an enthusiasm that has been set in stone since the visit of Pope Benedict.

After the Mass at Bellahouston, I had to return to university for the start of Freshers’ Week. Since I live in a communications black hole, with no internet or television, I managed to persuade one of my classmates to let me watch the other Papal events at his place.

Although reluctant at first, after numerous bribes of junk food and beer, he finally agreed to let me dominate his living room for the weekend. My friend is not a Catholic and describes himself under the old platitude as ‘spiritual,’ yet after watching the sheer energy and passion of the thousands gathered to catch a glimpse of the Pope and to attend Mass with him, he seemed to be as enamoured as I was. Since the visit, he now regularly asks questions about my Faith and does not hold back in his opinions of what I say.

Amongst my Catholic friends there is also great enthusiasm about the Pope’s visit and consequently about their Faith. One of my friends from home spoke of how wonderful it was that the Pope came to us, and how privileged we are to have had the Holy Father visit our country, our home. At my university chaplaincy, there have been a great deal more young people attending talks and events, some of whom have emphasised that they are taking such an interest specifically because of the Pope’s visit.

I was speaking recently with Fr Martin Pletts, the newly appointed chaplain to Dundee and Abertay Universities, who noted that the young led the way in the Pope’s visit. “Many Catholics were sceptical about the visit of Pope Benedict, especially since he was not going to be the charismatic man they saw when Pope John Paul visited three decades before,” Fr Pletts said. “However the joy and enthusiasm of the young people across Britain, coupled with the gentle nature of Pope Benedict, helped many, including the secular media, warm to the Pope.”

Recently I read the much discussed book Light of the World, where Pope Benedict is interviewed and asked many probing questions. Asked by the interviewer about the so called ‘new evangelisation’ the Holy Father said: “We must summon fresh energy for tackling the problem of how to announce the Gospel anew in such a way that this world can receive it, and we must muster all of our energies to do this… we are really in an age in which a new evangelisation is needed; in which the one Gospel has to be proclaimed both in its great, enduring rationality and in its power that transcends rationality, so that it can re-enter our thinking and understanding in a new way.”

Powerful words indeed, yet I couldn’t help but wonder where this fresh energy would come from, until I realised that we already possess it in the young Catholics who desire to live their Faith to the full. Pascal Uche, the young man who addressed the Holy Father on behalf of all the young Catholics in Britain outside Westminster Cathedral said: “We are a truly living Church that offers great opportunities for young people to encounter the love of Christ and share it… it is our prayer that your visit inspires ‘saints of the third millennium.’” The Pope replied with the plea to all young Catholics to ‘be open to the voice of Jesus resounding in the depths of your heart: even now His heart is speaking to your heart… do not be afraid to give yourself totally to Jesus.’

Despite there being oodles of zeal and enthusiasm amongst the Catholics who participated in the Pope’s visit, there is of course a large number who do not share this energy and have fallen away from their faith. For one reason or another, there is a clear gap in the Faith of young Catholics between the final years of high school and the early years of college or university. This gap has to be filled if we want the multitude of saints for the third millennium which we so desperately need.

At Hyde Park, Pope Benedict stated that ‘the truth that sets us free cannot be kept to ourselves; it calls for testimony, it begs to be heard,’ but this truth has to be continually taught and reaffirmed for the gap to be bridged. Whilst speaking to Fr Pletts, he reminded me that ‘young people have nothing to lose and everything to gain by giving their lives to Christ.’ It is my prayer as a young Catholic, along with Pascal Uche, that the Pope’s visit inspires us to be the saints we are called to be.