(ZENIT News / Vatican City, 05.20.2024).- From 23 to 25 May, approximately 300 delegates of Episcopal Conferences from 110 countries will take part in the International Congress on Youth Ministry which was organised by the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life (DLFL) and will be held at Casa di Accoglienza ‘Il Carmelo’ in Rome. The theme of the Congress is “For a synodal youth ministry: new styles and leadership strategies”.
Taking place on the fifth anniversary of the publication of the post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation Christus vivit, the meeting is a pivotal moment which directly links to the preparation for the next World Youth Day in Seoul in 2027.
The Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life is dedicating the year 2024 to the promotion and circulation of the Exhortation, which was published after the 2018 Synod on Youth. Initiatives which have been implemented include a social media campaign via official World Youth Day accounts, and the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the first meeting comprising young people and the Pope in Saint Peter’s Square in 1984. These initiatives, along with numerous diocesan events in various parts of the world, aim to strengthen youth ministry and foster spiritual reflection amongst young people, by starting with the indications offered by Christus vivit.
The International Congress on Youth Ministry offers three days of study and reflection on a number of Christus vivit themes which are fundamental to pastoral care and work. Such themes include youth leadership, synodality, formation, and spiritual accompaniment. Each theme will be introduced by an expert in the field of pastoral care, and will be further explored in sharing groups in accordance with a methodology of spiritual discernment introduced by Dr Sandra Chaoul (Lebanon), Director of the Accompaniment Network for Discerning Leadership Program. Other speakers will include Prof. Gustavo Fabián Cavagnari, Professor of Youth Ministry at the Salesian Pontifical University in Argentina; Rev. Fr Christopher Ryan MGL, Director of the Areté Centre for Missionary Leadership in Australia; and Dr Brenda Noriega (USA), member of the first International Youth Advisory Body (IYAB) of the DLFL who possesses extensive experience in youth faith formation processes.
Following an introductory greeting by Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Prefect of the DLFL, the first day of the Congress will open with a session entitled “From WYD Lisbon 2023 to WYD Seoul 2027”. The session will focus on a reflection and evaluation of the significant events of the last World Youth Day in Lisbon in 2023. This moment will not only celebrate the successes achieved, but will also act as a bridge towards the next edition of World Youth Day to be held in Seoul in 2027. During the session, Cardinal Américo Manuel Alves Aguiar, Bishop of Setúbal, and H. Exc. Msgr. Peter Soon-Taick Chung, Archbishop of Seoul, will share their experiences and offer early insight into their expectations and innovations for the next great meeting of youth from around the world.
Another major event to be introduced during the Congress will be the Jubilee of Youth 2025, which is scheduled from 28 July to 3 August. On this special occasion, the Holy Father will invite young people from all over the world to Rome, urging them to be “pilgrims of hope”. H. Exc. Msgr. Rino Fisichella, Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelisation, will present the details of this important event by speaking about the initiatives and activities planned for the Jubilee of Youth.
The Congress will conclude on Saturday 25 May, with the participation in the Holy Father’s Audience in the morning and an open dialogue with Sr Nathalie Becquart XMCJ, Under-Secretary for the General Secretariat of the Synod, in the afternoon.
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