Pope tells Mexican bishops church must reach out to young people

Published: 2005-09-08

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The church must reach out to young Catholics who no longer attend Mass and help them find their way in the world by following Christ, Pope Benedict XVI said in an address to bishops from Mexico. Young people who are no longer a part of church life after having received the sacraments of initiation "find themselves in a society marked by growing cultural and religious pluralism," he said. "Sometimes alone and confused," young people can also encounter beliefs that a person can "reach fullness through technological, political and economic power," he added. "It is therefore necessary to accompany young people and invite them with enthusiasm" back into the church community, "so that they can take on the task of transforming society as a fundamental requirement of following Christ," said the pope. At the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo Sept. 8, the pope addressed some 27 bishops and their auxiliaries from northern and western Mexico at the end of their Sept. 1-8 "ad limina" visits, which heads of dioceses are required to make every five years.

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