This article is from page 11 of the 2006-03-14 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 11 JPG
THE Bishop of Killaloe, Dr Willie Walsh, has stated that there is a growing sense among young people “that they do not belong, that they are not valued or that they have no meaningful role in society.”
In his Lenten letter, read out at masses across the Killaloe diocese over the weekend, Dr Walsh said, “We are privileged to live at a time of significant prosperity in Ireland. However, we should not blind ourselves to the fact that in the midst of that prosperity the gap between rich and poor continues to widen.”
Dr Walsh said that “despite that, we build more houses than ever before, we are witnessing the increasing spiral of homelessness in our towns and cities and despite the means of communication becoming more and more sophisticated, there is significant evidence that more people than ever feel a sense of isolation.”
Dr Walsh also stated that despite young people enjoying better opportunities for work and leisure, “it is evident that many of them are finding a real emptiness in life. There appears to be a growing sense among many that they do not belong, that they are not valued or that they have no meaningful role in society.
“We must not blind ourselves to the fact that more and more people are finding it very difficult to cope in this world of competitive and even aggressive individualism. In making these observations, I am not at all decrying the progress made in recent years – the economic progress, the increase in employment, the improvement in services, the better facilities in education, in leisure and sporting facilities.
“I am suggesting however that economic progress, on its own, does not satisfy our deeper needs – our need for friendship and for love, for being valued for ourselves.
“I am suggesting that there is a real challenge to our Christian community at this time to reach out to those who have not benefited from this progress.”
In his letter, Dr Walsh also referred to Pope Benedict.
“We have gradually come to recognise him as a gentle, humble and prayerful man.”