Church admits failure in helping youth

MANILA, Dec. 15, 2010— A catholic prelate has admitted that the youth have been sadly abandoned by institutions, including the Church.

CBCP’s Commission on Youth Chair Joel Baylon made the admission as the the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines formally launched today 2011 as the “Year of the Youth”.

“Many of them feel abandoned by the institutions that are supposed to take care of them – the Church included, we must humbly admit,” said Baylon.

Baylon, also bishop of Legazpi diocese, noted today’s “sad truth” that many of the young people are exploited and treated “unjustly.”

A good number of them, he lamented, also live under “abject poverty; others fall victim to drug addiction, child labor and prostitution.

The church official said it’s high time to give the necessary attention and care that the young Filipinos deserve, as he reiterated that they are the future of the country and of the church.

“During this CBCP Year of the Truth, let us together work to intensify awareness about the youth and their importance to the life and activity of the church,” Baylon said.

“By our witness let us help the young in our midst—in our homes, schools, communities, etc—to find God in their lives and generously answer His call to service and love,” he added.

The prelate also said the celebration will be doubly meaningful because the CBCP commission on youth will mark its 25th anniversary in July 2011.

“Let us pray that there may be wider participation and greater dedication in youth ministry, leading to a meaningful and fruitful service that is undertaken with the fullest attention and highest priority in every way by all in the Church,” he said. (CBCPNews)