Teens offer diverse new agendas - National Catholic Conference, Kansas, City, MO, Nov. 20-23, 1997 - Cover Story - Column

National Catholic Reporter, Dec 12, 1997 by John L. Allen

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- One week before 14,000 Catholic teens met here, another Catholic group -- Call to Action -- drew 3,500 participants to its annual conference in Detroit.

It would be hard to imagine two Catholic gatherings with more disparate programs. While Call to Action's 16,000 members embody post-Vatican II hopes for progressive change in areas such as women's ordination, priestly celibacy and the role of dissent, those issues were conspicuously absent from the agenda for the National Catholic Youth Conference. Instead, the focus in Kansas City was on catechesis, evangelization and a celebration of Catholic identity.

In part, of course, this difference can be accounted for by sponsorship -- the National Catholic Youth Conference is largely funded by parishes and dioceses, while the reform-oriented Call to Action is independently supported. Then, too, the purpose of the NCYC is not to promote reform but to engage youth more fully in the life of the church.

Yet, some would argue that the disjunction between the two events reflects a more fundamental shift in Catholic attitudes. These observers believe that the issues that galvanized the Vatican II-era generation are of little interest to younger Catholics. As the living memory of Vatican II fades, this school of thought suggests, so too does ardor for the council's reform agenda.

At first blush, the teens at the youth conference would seem to confirm this hypothesis. Many spoke of the appeal of a church that holds fast in a changing world, a church that articulates an uncompromising moral tradition. Many young people seemed lukewarm to the idea of sweeping change.

Yet when one scratches the surface -- moving from the general idea of change to specific concerns -- a tremendous diversity of opinion emerges. Many of the Catholic teens gathered in Kansas City spoke favorably, for example, of softening church strictures on divorce or allowing priests to marry. The image of today's Catholic youth as largely conservative is therefore misleading, at least taking those assembled for the conference as an indication. While young Catholics value the stability of Catholic tradition, they often side with reformers on some of the most contentious issues.

And, in perhaps the clearest sign that the post-conciliar dream is not dead in the next generation, virtually every teenager who was asked for an opinion said that dissent should not be squelched in the church and that Catholics who find themselves estranged from church teaching should still be welcomed as part of the community of faith. Whatever else today's Catholic adolescent may value, tolerance appears to be near the top of the list.

To adults who don't work with youth, it's often surprising how much importance they attach to tradition. And Catholic teens at the conference said repeatedly that the solidity of Catholic tradition does hold considerable appeal for them.

"Lots of my non-Catholic friends ask, `how can you go through all of this?' You know, the rituals, all the moral teachings and everything else," said Angela Shatto, 17, of Kansas City, Mo. "My answer is that it's a tradition. It offers a firm base for young people today."

Shirley Fievet, 18, of Birmingham,., Ala., said much the same thing. "[Church teachings] should stay the same. It's tradition. What I believe in, I know is right so I don't think it should change," she said.

"I like everything that it [the Catholic church] stands for," said D. O'Hara of Kansas City, Mo. "I was brought up as a Catholic, and I like what it says about family values. I also respect its teaching on social values. It has defined values and beliefs that don't change. For me, that's the coolest thing. We're standing up for what we believe in. That's what going to Mass every week confirms," he said.

This desire for something reliable led many young people to be wary of the potential impact of change in church traditions. "I guess I would see the church, if they were to break down and change the rules ... I would see it as the church giving in to society," O'Hara said. "That's one of the cool things about it, when society is running wild with all the sexual promiscuity and all that stuff, the church stands strong on the things they believe."

"I just agree with the way things are," said Eric O'Neal, 17, from Birmingham, Ala. "The way I've been brought up, and the way I see things, I think it's great the way it is. Change would probably just make [the church] more chaotic."

"The fact that the church is seen as unchanging and solid attracts young people who are looking for something they can count on," Shatto said. "I don't know how major changes would affect that. ... I sort of think it would turn young people off."

Time of self-discovery

Given this, it's easy to see how adults could conclude that young Catholics aren't interested in the kinds of change sought by reformers -- and, indeed, some were prepared to draw just that conclusion. "I think young people [today] are often more traditional in outlook, or conservative if you want to call it that," said Bishop David Foley of Birmingham, Ala. "I think they're less interested in making changes than in discovering our core Catholic traditions. To some extent, I suppose, they're reacting to the excesses of what went before."