Family and Youth: European Horizons

“If we remove the cover of the disturbing tale, we find that life, true life, is bustling, the life of those many simple people which carries on from day-to-day with dignity, which cares for the family with love and sacrifice, which is devoted to the education of children with integrity, which takes care of its own sick and neighbours in an admirable fashion.”

These are the words spoken by Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, Archbishop of Genoa and President of the Council of the European Bishops’ Conferences (CCEE), a few days ago in his inaugural speech for the Plenary Session of the CCEE, the ecclesial organ composed of the Presidents of all the continent’s Bishops’ Conferences.

During his speech, he referred several times to the theme of young people, which was put at the center of one of the days of work: “The young generations are on the horizon of the European Continent: the Church looks to them with especial sympathy not for her own interests, but for the good of their lives and of European civilisation.”