The objective was to promote the continuation of the synodal path of the last Synod of Bishops on the theme: “Young people, Faith and Vocational Discernment” and Pope Francis' apostolic exhortation “Christus Vivit”.
Each day started with a prayer, followed by inputs according to the topic of the day, panel discussions and open discussions for all the participants, working groups and presentation moments and the Celebration of the Eucharist.
The first day dealt with the reflection of the synodal process on a local level, asking about the involvement of young people as leading players in this process and examples of good practice that have emerged from this journeying together. On the second day we mainly discussed the question “Which aspects of Christus Vivit are most relevant to our specific context?” The third day dealt with concrete actions that could follow, based on the question “How can I help my local church community to go forward in implementing the Synod proposals?” The International Youth Forum ended on Saturday with the Celebration of the Eucharist in Saint Peter´s Basilica and the meeting with Pope Francis who greeted each and every one of us personally.
The participation in this Youth Forum was a unique experience for me, both on a personal level as in the role as representative for the Salesian Youth Movement. The Forum was a great example of continuing the synodal journey with young people, listening to us and making us the protagonists in this process. At the beginning of the Forum each delegate was individually presented by name and country/movement which I experienced as a sign of welcoming, appreciation and importance of our presence. The strongest moments were those of sharing with the other participants, not only in the working groups but especially during the informal moments. The topics stayed the same “What do we experience in our daily life with the church? What are our dreams for the church? How can we support the synodal journey?” It showed that we are all part of a big family called church that is full of diversity and young people that 'burn' for it. “Let us be agents of change, peace, joy and hope” was one of the inspiration sentences presented by a working group on the last day. “We want a church with and for the young” – a sentence that might be known in the Salesian Youth Movement but does not describe the reality of all young people. That´s why together with all the other members of the church we need to continue this synodal path, being a welcoming church that walks towards all people especially the young ones and those who are or feel far from church.
I want to close with another inspiration sentence presented by a working group:
“We are the face of Christ, fully alive!”
