The conversation was moderated by Giovanni Antwerp, journalist and television author, currently deputy director of Prime Time Entertainment for RAI, who stressed how good it was to have so many authorities and personalities present, especially from numerous movements and associations, and school leaders of local institutions.

During the work, a booklet for educators was presented explored, entitled "A Youth Ministry that Educates to Love" edited by Fr Miguel Angel García Morcuende, General Councillor for Youth Ministry of the Salesian Congregation, and by the psychotherapist Antonella Sinagoga, member of the Youth Ministry Sector.

The aim of the document is to give young people a positive vision of affectivity and sexuality, but at the same time to understand how these two aspects are experienced in the world of youth. It is difficult to say whether this generation experiences sexuality better or worse than the previous one, but one should not be tempted to say that "anything from the past is better".

It was pointed out that this generation lives in this dimension and this should be taken as a starting point for further exploration and discovery. What has been observed is how deep within the flesh there is an emotional loneliness which is the lack of meaningful relationships, and a social loneliness, that is, the lack of affiliative relationships, which generates the feeling of not being accepted by others, when, after all, what matters most in life is affection and recognition. This can be done through listening.

Fr García Morcuende, for his part, presented the process of raising awareness of the issue that involved the entire Congregation, understanding the current context, the new mission territories and the challenges of the educator who accompanies the young person in this area, to the point of proposing, from a Salesian perspective, ten educational criteria.

They were presented by Dr Antonella Sinagoga: accompanying the construction of identity; accompanying conscience and decisions; educating self to self-mastery; educating emotions: the virtues of the heart; educating to community life; educating to the awareness of our limitations; educating to the awareness of digital power; accompanying uniqueness, not seeing it as a reason for exclusion; a basic ethic of affective relationships; appreciating two areas of educational impact: families and peers. Dr Sinagoga said that to explore the educational criteria proposed in this document and to strengthen some social and personal skills, curricula will be presented to promote a valid educative and pastoral practice.

A Jesuit expert, Father Giovanni Piva, then spoke. He stressed how important it is, including with the help of the proposed text, to speak in a scientific and Christian way about "gender identity" and "sexual orientation" without being trapped by ideological factions, but offering a considerable service to today's educators. Today, in fact, in the

youth groups – he stressed – broadening the perspective to the entire Church context, there are young people who have the courage to express doubts and insecurities regarding their sexual identity, much more than in the past ; helped by the social and Church context they are calmer about these issues. This is why we feel it is urgent that these same issues enter with the same serenity into the educational curricula of our young people, taking great care not to communicate ambiguous or pedagogically negative messages to them.

The event  concluded with a committed young layman, Stefano Pescatore, who  has been coordinating the work of the local group in reference to these issues for a year, together with another volunteer, Chiara Panizzi.

Those present, even after the conclusion of the event, expressed their interest and desire to further explore these issues in all educational, religious, but also civil contexts.

Fr Maurizio Verlezza

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