Youth Congress proposes plan for youth ministry

National Catholic Reporter, Oct 23, 1998

Delegates to the Second Latin American Youth Congress called for strengthening the Catholic church's "preferential option" for young people and encouraged support for their involvement in the church and society.

At the end of the congress for youth ministry workers in Latin America, participants agreed upon a plan of action for their future work.

More than 700 youth ministers from 22 countries, along with 24 bishops and more than 100 priests attended the Oct. 3-10 congress, "Young People with Christ Transforming Latin America with Justice and Hope," in the Chilean coastal resort of Punta de Tralca.

The congress was held parallel to the Oct. 6-11 Continental Youth and Young Adult Gathering in Santiago.

"We want young people to generate their own alternatives -- I believe a change is possible," Juan Pablo Moreno, executive secretary for the youth office of the Latin American Bishops' Council, known by its Spanish acronym as CELAM, said.

The congress' proposals for church youth work in Latin America called for providing more educational opportunities for young people; encouraging youth to be more critical of their surroundings; incorporating the "preferential option for the poor and the youth"; promoting greater family values and more space for the spiritual side of youth work, forging a greater participation of youth in political and social organizations; and strengthening the role of young lay people within the church.