Good day and welcome to the building bridges across South Asia event an encounter with Pope Francis and University students my name is Dr Peter Jones and I’m an associate professor and Dean of The Institute of pastoral studies at Loyola University Chicago with me is Dr Michael Murphy a professor
And director of Loyola University’s Hank center for the Catholic intellectual Heritage in collaboration with the pontifical commission for Latin America we at Loyola have been honored to plan and host these important conversations with Pope Francis with our Loyola team and our partner institutions throughout South Asia we are excited to present the
Third Building Bridges initiative event the building bridges initiative is university-led and student centered it is inspired by the call of Pope Francis to retrieve synodality as the necessary way to be church today challenging all Catholic institutions including schools colleges and universities not only to support research and the teaching of
Students especially about synodality but also to approach their work in a synodal manner in this present moment when there is much talk and little listening and when the sense of the common good is in danger of weakening The Living Word of God calls out again to us
We are called to walk together with all people called to listen call to dialogue and call to discern together our shared journey and collaborative work we are called to take responsibility just as the first apostles were and did for living the gospel into being this is what the Holy Father asks of us
And the building bridges initiative is our shared response our goal in the building bridges initiative is to create unique opportunities for young people to practice the skills and nurture the virtues required for authentic encounters deep listening constructive dialogue and shared discernment for action following meetings with students from
Across the Americas and then across Africa we welcome today 12 extraordinary students who represent groups from across three countries in South Asia India Pakistan and Nepal sister Natalie bakar under Secretary of the Synod of Bishops has sent a message to these students and to all who are joining us let’s listen you know
Good afternoon it’s a great pleasure to connect with you and to greet you from Rome from the General Secretary of the Synod I am very grateful for this opportunity you have to build Bridge together in a synodal style as we are focusing here in Rome to the general assembly of the Synod of
Bishops that will happen very soon uh in October and with many delegates from all your country and I really want to wish you a wonderful encounter we count on your protagonism on your contribution to Foster this dialogue among generation dialogue among people from different backgrounds different continents
To also Foster a dialogue among local churches and universities are a great place for that so I already want to encourage you to thank all the organizer of this meeting and wish you really a good journey together and encourage you to continue this path of dialogue not only among
Catholic but with everybody and as students you are the now and the future of our societies and of the church and it’s very important that you can help to Build a Better World so have a good time I pray for you and uh I hope to hear very soon about your contribution thanks
A lot okay all right my turn dear young people from the south of Asia I’m very glad to have this third meeting with University students and because three point yes within the framework of the building bridges initiative Building Bridges means the temperatures between people building bridges between us
Which is the opposite of building walls walls divide people Bridges unite people and these Bridges um actually um are born from within ourselves we shake hands so we build bridges of friendship between men and women of different culture because the gospel needs to be become part of our culture evangelizing culture
And spread the gospel we are not all the same we try to promote our way of being we preserve our culture we become richer and we rely very much on our Christian Roots so I wish all the best for this meeting to all of us and through this journey of
Encounter and culture we are meeting here so this is part of our culture just as we are and I hope this dialogue is going to be fruitful and I thank you very much thank you very much Pope Francis thank you for being with us once again with the potentifical commission of
Latin America that along with Loyola University is Building Bridges with all the continents these young people are pioneers and they have already started to build Bridges I’m here with aleka Luna with her we built the first bridge between the Americas the North and the South so
Aleka the floor is yours thank you very much Holy Father thank you for this initiative um three years ago was deeply inspired in listening to your voice and your active and deep engagement calling us by our names just like Jesus did showing us an important example of leadership encouraging us to
Be protagonists to be young people pursuing common good in our communities this is what we’re working for in our universities and everywhere else last year November we met our friends in Africa today we’ve got Leoni kakatunge from Kenya and the Vista Perez from Uganda they participated in that meeting last
Year and we would like to welcome our friends from South Asia in this initiative Building Bridges to build Bridges all over the world thank you thank you alijah my name is sisters of Saint Joseph Mombasa Kenya I am the program director for the pan-african Catholic theology and pastoral Network
And also the coordinator of the beauty Bridges initiative in Africa Holy Father I helped to organize your encounter with the African youth last year is part of the building bridges initiated soon we are publishing a book that outlines your conversation in that meeting and includes practical examples of How African youth are working
Together to address the issues you discussed with them we promise to give you a copy in that November encounter with the African youth Holy Father you met students representatives from nine African countries one of them is here with me Davis ampereza good day Holy Father
I am Davis and Teresa and I am from Uganda you are desire to meet and you’re carefully listening and there with us has created significant impact you inspired A Renewed movement of young people in Africa these young people have come and worked together they dialogue and they sound together to
See how they will live a whole good future Holy Father another leadership and the guidance of sister leonida we have building religious groups in 52 African countries more than 5 000 youth continue to gather in Regional meetings in synonym conversations in the spirit and we hope that these meetings will heal the best
Inspired by your movement and inspired by your call this movement continues to grow and we are organizing ourselves for action Holy Father your example and encouragement have motivated many other new projects for example through the leadership of further Stan ELO the coordinated servant of the pan-african Catholic theology and pastoral Network
We launch next month a certificate program to equip African Catholic University students with the tools to become digital disciples participants will strengthen their Christian identity learn new skills and embrace the call to Bear witness to the values of the Gospel in the spirit of the synod Holy Father
It’s a great honor there is and I to join our friends in the Americas and together welcome our new friends in South Asia through the building bridges initiative we pray that you encounter with these young people today will bear much fruit Holy Father I am pleased to introduce to you Dr
Caroline Neto who is a professor at Christ University in Bangalore India sister leonida Davis alega Dr Kuda and all our new friends in the Americas and in Africa thank you for inviting us and welcoming us to participate in the building bridges initiative I am a professor of sociology and social
Work at Christ University in Bangalore India and I have had the pleasure of working with students in our region to prepare them for this encounter Holy Father this is a great honor and we are delighted to meet you groups of students from Nepal Pakistan and many parts of India have been
Meeting to share their stories and listen to each other they are practicing reading the signs of the times and Discerning together possibilities for constructive action participating students are studying diverse subjects such as computer science business microbiology and law you will meet 12 students today selected by their peers to be representatives of
Their groups are encountered with you today will take place in four conversations in each conversation one of the professors who mentored student groups will introduce three students each student will share with you some of the experiences concerns and dreams of their groups after each student has shared this Holy
Father you will have approximately 10 minutes to share your experiences advice and encouragement and to dialogue with these young people to begin I am pleased to introduce Hira Rafiq from the Loyola Hall research and spirituality Center in Lahore Pakistan thank you Dr Neto and good day Holy Father
It’s an honor to be with you today and my name is Hera I am a project coordinator at Loyola Hall research and spirituality Center in Lahore Pakistan and it’s my pleasure to introduce you to our students Joseph Philip Mary Lavinia and Rosita Lucas these students represent the student
Groups in Delhi and Bangalore in India so Joseph welcome to this conversation my name is Joseph and I’m from Kerala in Southern India I’m currently studying physics and since defense College Delhi which is my honor and privilege to speak with you Holy Father on behalf of my friends from Saint Stephen’s College
About the challenges posed by the rise of internet technology in South Asia the rapid expansion of digital connectivity across the globe has profound implications for the diverse societies of South Asia the internet has image as they double its own in the region which has facilitated unprecedented access to information education and opportunities breaking
Down barriers of distance and elaborate communication across borders however it was also brought about challenges that are particularly pronounced in this sort of the world relieve your sentence ethnic conflicts and political polarization have found new avenues for expression and amplifications online this has given rise to hate speech misinformation and the spread of
Extremist ideologies threatening the Harmony and unity of communities moreover the digital divide remains oppressing cancer while urban areas experience who benefits of high-speed internet access Rural and disadvantaged populations continue to be excluded from the opportunities this selectivity assaults this inequality in abscess accessories existing Societies in Education Health Care and economic development your
Holiness your leadership in promoting vinyl compassion forgiveness and social justice is a guiding life for Millions following in your footsteps we have the following plans to make the internet a better place in South Asia number one promote respectful and tensative conversations in the digital sphere among diverse religious communities in
South Asia fostering understanding and Harmony number two advocate for responsible digital synthesis and support initiatives that promote media literacy and critical thinking skills that will help combat hate speech and misinformation number three collaborate with governments organizations and technology companies to expand affordable internet access to underserve communities ensuring Equitable opportunities for all
Number four encourage individuals and communities to use the internet as a platform for add subscribers charity and social justice in these challenging times your Holiness your guidance and wisdom are needed more than ever together we can harness the power of the internet so the greatest good and
Promote a more inclusive and harmless of Asia thank you your colleeness welcome Mary a very warm and heartfelt greetings to your Holiness Pope Francis respected members of The Sinner and my fellow students my name is s Mary Lavinia and I am studying law at Christ Team to be University in Bangalore from
The southern state of Karnataka in India I consider it my great privilege and honor to be addressing your Holiness today and feel extremely grateful for this wonderful opportunity our group discussed the importance of media literacy in a world filled with fake news and a deliberate manipulation of facts this trend prevalent on all
Broadcasting and social media platforms contributes to misunderstandings and polarization many parts of the world including our own appear to be leaning towards an authoritarian style of governance with the indirect and direct curbing of the various freedoms like freedom of speech and expression religion movement and residence Etc there is also a perceived manipulation
Of media platforms by political parties converting them into covered propaganda Outlets they can promote biased political agendas and Foster discrimination and hatred based on religion caste race gender Etc sometimes manipulation and misinformation have ignited riots mob lynching and many more the over usage of social media actifies young minds negatively influences
Societal attitudes and exposes the youth to unhealthy portrayals of sexuality personal objectification and many forms of violence and toxicity norms for interpassive relationships are degrading at work in school and in families finally media is filled with false and negative stereotypes this contributes to the Discrimination of persons of a certain religion caste
Gender and more unfortunately I myself have been subjected to such discrimination of opportunity for being a woman which is present in my church too we as a team propose to promote a media literacy campaign first at the University level among our students and then aim to expand it further in order
To educate people to consume media content prudently we seek your wisdom and guidance in pursuing this work thank you your holiness thank you Mary and welcome rushita a large city near Dubai in the United Arab Emirates I am pursuing a ba in economics political science and sociology at Christ University Delhi NCR
I represent the Indian diaspora from Middle East as I was born and brought up in Sharjah as your Holiness may know there are 32 million Indians or people of Indian origin who reside outside of India we are an integral part of representation of our nation abroad and significantly contribute to both economies
At the same time the diaspora Community often grapples with a strong sense of alienation due to the gradual loss of cultural connections we often struggle to preserve our language traditions and cultural heritage in foreign lands in spite of our belongingness to Indian roots we the younger generation particularly
Struggle with our identities trying to balance our cultural upbringing while trying to fit in with the host land as migrants our parents have settled in with the reality but the youngsters aspired to live our dreams in the midst of these challenges I wish to share my desire to lead young
People to use digital media to form and strengthen connections among the Indian diaspora also I find that starting a cultural center to bring people from the diaspora Community together will be a great idea I most humbly request your Holiness to take note of these issues of the diaspora Community across the globe
Kindly give us your valuable advice so that the younger generation can gracefully sail through this dilemma thank you thank you dear students um dear Holy Father we invite you to invite your responses to these students and we note that we have eight minutes to dialogue with these students thank you foreign very much
Heart listens the heart thinks the loss the heart acts these three languages the language of the thought the language of the heart and the language of the hands are all extremely important and it is important for everything to be in harmony so that what you think you feel and you do
Is always consistent everything must go hand in hand there’s a beautiful word you mentioned which is harmony harmony is not necessarily standardization uniformity but the contrary is the beauty of difference and you in the East have this ability of creating Beauty indifference in diversity the more these differences
Are harmonized the greater is the beauty so do not fall into temptation don’t try to conceptualize everything no Harmony is what is achieved between three these three languages through which one expresses himself as a person so this is exactly what Harmony is about and the best expression of Harmony is probably
Poetry when I was a student I used to like writing poems and when I read them I somehow felt a little ashamed but you can definitely resort to poetry because through poetry you can have a creative dialogue and express the very best of yourselves for example there’s a verse here of a
Spanish poet who’s talking about poetry says you are poetry every single one of us is a poem it’s a life that is expressed through Beauty following a common path so thank you for that something else you mentioned is that ideology can be deceiving it can be deceiving because it reduces everything to
The level of the mind so sometimes there are people who are very much developed but uh mind level but have a very small heart very small hands so you must break free from all ideologies because ideologies are human expressions but you must be daring enough to embark on the path of creativity
And along this path try to find equality in access to a language that we can all comprehend that we can all understand in this regard the internet can become a better place through Harmony I’m often afraid of the country some might y not agreement but I’m afraid of specializations I’m specializing in this
I’m specializing in that but in the end one specializes in one specific thing and forgets about everything else so yes sure you have to specialize but you must never lose sight of the overall picture of the overall Harmony that is necessary so the word I like to stress here is harmony
How many can drive us this is a danger that we must face in media and communication the problem of the so-called of truths concealed truths when things are not exactly told as they should be as they are turkey news this can be negative because we get some
Bad news fake news that say the exact opposite of the truth that’s like omitting details a piece of news cannot be trimmed it cannot be pruned it has to be offered on a trade to everyone and so that everyone can process it and interpret it and this
Means you have to stick to the facts news have to stick to the facts because sometimes the media have a whole lot of clients and a lot of customers so they can end up manipulating bad news poorly manipulate news making them turning them into bad news this is a
So-called industry of the fake news that generates real monsters sometimes bad news take us on a path that brings us away from reality that separates us from our roots and a tree must have firm roots that are rooted into reality and through the person it must communicate with it through its
Own Stars so this is poetry this is poetry in communication because everyone can have his own style regarding authoritarianism well this is to be a lot to be seen in the world because democracy is indeed necessary for growth but real democracy democracy that Fosters dialogue and understanding between peoples
It can lead to agreements in the end and the path to agreements is in read indeed very human a very human thing I have a different approach compared to you and this under this aspect and this and that so how can we go about it one thing we can do is shake hands
So the language of separation of ideology is always based on separation but the image of the human agreement is very very different so we can have different frames of mind we can have different thoughts but we can find an agreement to carry on together that is the idea of the hand of
Giving your hand to someone reaching out so there can be something positive in in all this that’s a silver lining show your hand and be ready to help we were to also talk about discrimination against women too so thank you for imposing yourself as a woman you have to express
Yourself depending on how you feel on who you are boy your girl an adult a woman a man whether you belong to one religion or another but if uh diamonds if you have a diamond whereas a raw diamond you know you have to become a pure diamond and
This can be achieved through common dialogue don’t just become a piece of glass because Richness is not transforming into a piece of glass that would be too easy a diamond is much more precious so each and every single one of us has this richness and can work on it and what uh was mentioning with the Middle East relations with the Middle East on the
Morning of the Pentecost the Holy Spirit Indian uh plays a bit of a trick because everyone made a bit of a trick because everyone could understand each other despite talking different languages so we can see that everyone must talk about his or her condition situation but through dialogue with
Others this is an anthropological condition an anthropological situation you must confess you must listen and you must try to understand one another that’s the pure diamond that has many facets that’s the diamond of growth of the growth of people who know how to communicate who know how to debate
Without quarreling just debating talking finding the truth together and going back to the diaspora on the Middle East an interesting thing is that if you elsewhere but you keep in your heart your place of origin my father himself was a migrant his grandpa my grandparents have always
Taught us passed on the culture of Northern Italy which is the place of origin as a as a child I used to listen to their dialect to their poems to their songs so if you experience a diaspora you inevitably will have to face New Paths without ever forgetting your roots
Because forgetting your roots would be a real shame that would re be an existential sin because a man or woman that has no roots is an artificial man or woman artificial flowers are beautiful sure but they have no roots artificial trees have no roots they have no smell so the
Roots gave you the aroma the smell of personality And never lose sight of cultural connections culture is key is Paramount so thank you for what you said and never lose courage always carry on behalf of myself and these students thank you Holy Father thank you for your time with us and now I would like to introduce dice
Anthony of Saint Stephens College from Delhi thank you Hira Rafiq and good day Holy Father it is an honor to be with you today I’m an assistant professor in the department of history at Saint Stephen’s College Delhi it is my pleasure to introduce you to Steve Sergeant Jacob
Sagarika Vincent Mary and Tanya Shaukat these three young people represent student groups which were meeting in Chennai and Bangalore India and in Lahore Pakistan Steve welcome to this conversation good evening Holy Father I’m Steve son Jacobs studying computer science at Chrysler College trivandrum Kerala the southernmost state of India which has a
Significant Christian and Catholic population kerala’s church is Rich with many vocations and with missionaries serving church across the globe I want to bring to your attention the growth of atheism among careless youth the factors contributing to this rise of atheism are diverse including increasing religious discrimination growth of fundamentalistic ideologies polarization
In society and the impact of social media in addition the shift to nuclear families and low birth rates from post-demographic challenges that reduce the number of vocations from Kerala currently Kerala is moving towards a social cultural and religious Transformations that happened in the West in the post 1960s
One of our group members shared the experience of an uncle who was pivotal in laying a strong foundation for her faith but became an atheist through exposure to AIDS groups this wave of atheism has weakened moral values in our society straining social cohesion our group believes we must actively engage
With aces in respectful and constructive dialogue for that we will Empower interested college students with a deeper understanding of our faith and its relevance through apologetic groups at the college level in conclusion your Holiness the rise of atheism causes a significant challenge to our society we are committed to
Preserving our faith values and the traditions of our church while seeking ways to engage with the rising tide of eighths we seek your guidance and blessings as we navigate these challenges and strive for a Kerala for Faith and reason can coexist male Church continue to shine as a Beacon of Hope
And love in Kerala and Beyond thank you your holiness your Holiness and honorable members of the Sunol it is a one-time opportunity to engage directly with you a Beacon of Hope for Youth in the modern world I’m sagrika Vincent Mary from Chennai which is in Tamil Nadu in the southern part of India
I want to discuss with you the commercialization of Education a fraud profit model this especially affects the first generation students a degree from this school does not help an individual in knowledge or employment hence a sense of unworthiness prevails among first generation graduates most of our institution in India Arun
And commercialized by the education Mafia the national survey States almost 2 million graduates and a half a million postgraduates are unemployed in India around 47 percent of graduates in India are not suitable for any kind of industry role after the covet pandemic the reality is worse pushing them to seek any available
Job for survival anti-social elements take advantage of this situation and employed them to spread hatred and divisive workplace on religion and caste the Catholic system provides an alternative in the holistic approach for example in the present Catholic Education the focus is very little on certain important vertical like law engineering and Technology
Medicine and agriculture a century ago there were catholic institution educating craftsmanship like carpentry electricals and Motors mechanism which help self-employment among youth in India and are needed to be transformed to the latest trend of Technology the infrastructure remains but the courses are not upgraded your Holiness since the commercialized
Education system does not transform the student to be men and women for and with others we want to work together to improve moral and self-esteem and challenge the Catholic school to do more how can we rebuild the moral of Youth how can we see the strength in their
Mind to feel a sense of worthiness how can we set an example to show the Catholic Education is to empower students thank you your holiness honors I would like to talk about one of the most pressing social problems facing young Christians lack of education is the problem that does not allow young
Christians to secure a better future in Pakistan the causes of the low literacy rate are as follows lack of resources Lack of self motivation on the part of individuals and families no career counseling Christians are uneducated especially those living in tribal areas no family planning many young Christians go to school but
Do not continue to high school and University because they cannot afford University very few young people graduate and secure a good job instead of attending school young people seem to wander the streets where they grow addicted to drugs 87 percent of the Christian population is middle class and works from um Works to
Earn a living for their families I myself see many friends who cannot attend high school and University because there are more family members than Breadwinners in this situation it is not easy to take a step towards higher education I also see some Christian families who don’t even think
Of having their children go to school because the idea of education has not been there for generations and there are some young Christians who cannot afford to go to school and to be educated some of them do but lack motivation which does not allow individuals and families to grow and prosper in society
So possible solutions helps to talk about social issues there should be scholarships for students interested in situation but the future there should be some kind of counseling centers where Christian families can meet at least once a month to learn the importance of education and many other steps to change their financial condition
Thank you Steve sagarika and Tanya Holy Father uh we invite your responses and we note that we have approximately six minutes for you to dialogue with these students thank you it is well I’m very interested in what Mario said regarding the commercialization of Education while education must be free policy makers
Should guarantee free education because every man and every woman have the right to be educated and this education will be transformed into a source of wealth and richness for the country in several countries in Latin America we managed to do that with constitutional reforms so free education for everyone YouTube
So this must be a true encounter come because it’s very important to have free education for everyone when education is free there will be more students attending of course and the most talented also will have access to education otherwise only the richest will have access to education so um money will rule everything
Unless education is free for everyone it is not easy of course to put forward political proposals that bring about some true development but this is something key that we should at least try to promote as far as the divisions um based on religion and cast well I think
We all have to overcome this we’re all called to a fraternal dialogue well extremists are not going to be part of this dialogue they’re extremists among Christians as well it hurts but I must say that there are ideological extremists that transform the gospel into an ideology so what is
Not good or beneficial for dialogue is extremists of any kind what should we do for dialogue we need to be brave we need to have courage we need to have the courage to listen to our neighbor to welcome their words and this creates fraternity Brotherhood you have an opinion I have a different
Opinion but we can talk because we are humans let’s never forget this through dialogue we create Humanity in people as far as the technological changes are concerned they can help dialogue when of course they do not um they are not exploited for half Foods or fake news
Because of course they just gave a biased picture and as you were saying self-esteem is very important self-esteem is the first step that an educator should take it is very important for trainees to feel worthy to um feel that they have the chance to speak to express the Viewpoint to have
The courage to to speak the minds whereas if you are constantly humiliated or you feel frustrated well your self-esteem will be undermined and this will be detrimental for everyone so free education free access to University education self-esteem for all of you and scholarships scholarships for those
Who want to contribute to Build a Better World so I believe that the system of scholarships should be well organized should be well designed and promoted by every country foreign sometimes people don’t have access to University Services since they have no money hence the scholarship so keep working on your self-esteem
Fight for yourselves fight for your ideas no ideological battles please because the ideology or ideology is always something that are detrimental so keep going with your creativity and with your self-esteem thank you everyone on behalf of myself and these students thank you Holy Father for sharing this
Time with us it is now my pleasure to introduce Dr Lima Rose of Loyola College in Chennai India thank you Mr dies Anthony and good day Holy Father it is an honor to be with you today I am an assistant professor in the school of Commerce and economics at
Loyola College in Chennai India it is my pleasure to introduce you to Florina Harris and Cheryl Bobby Sadiq these students represent groups of young people meeting in Pakistan Nepal and Delhi India Florina welcome to this conversation The holiness Florina and I come from the city of Delhi located in the northern region of India I take great privilege in representing Jesus and Mary College University of Delhi the only Catholic minority institution offering higher education opportunities for women in the capital city I wish to share a few concerns that
Weigh heavily on our hearts the first pertains to a concern towards upholding diversity in India a country with a multitude of religions where Christians make up for about two percent unfortunately the christian community experiences neglect exclusion discrimination oppression and persecution women and children like us wear the brunt of such intolerances
Recent instances of violence against churches and communities especially in the tribal state of Manipur have triggered sorrow and apprehensions all over the nation it is in such instances that we the Christian Youth as bystanders fail to discern God’s plan and become lost children in this context of discrimination there
Is a growing disconnect between young people and the church and its teachings we observe hesitation among Christian students to openly Embrace their faith and in a world where Conformity is sometimes mistaken for social acceptance individuals often succumb to negative peer pressure which adversely affect their psychological and spiritual
Well-being drawing them away from God a busy lives often overshadow our spiritual needs we would like to organize as young people of Faith to support one another to openly express our faith in these challenging times thank you for thank you for your gracious attention and understanding your Holiness we humbly seek your
Guidance and blessings in addressing these concerns that resonate deeply within our minds and our community Holy Father from tipling Nepal a second generation Christian and first to go to college for my family when I was in Village colleges and universities were unheard of but God had
A plan for me and here I am with a bachelor’s degree from an International University I still believe that God has a plan for me but admits the difficulties of being a youth and Catholic at times I struggle to recognize God’s presence in Nepal Christianity is a minority
Religion and a past Catholics are a minority within the minority the nepales declare a secular country religion is still a very sensitive issue there used to be days when I avoided talking about my religion with my friends just to avoid disagreements many Hindus have a misconception that are religious conversion was done for
Personal and financial benefit and that we are neglecting our cultural traditions we still face most discrimination in the workplace education housing and political participation due to our ethnic and religious background there are political parties that demand the recreation of Nepal as a Hindu nation in this context the violence
Happening in Manipur India seems a trade to us as well even though a minority I too wish for the freedom to live my life according to my faith continuing our ethnic and cultural traditions and integrating it with our faith would help us to build stronger ties and keep us treated in our land
Holy Father do you know communities who experience this struggle to sustain their identity in a context where they are sometimes treated minority how should we approach our situation thank you for my bachelor’s in computer science career family message discrimination foreign foreign A inequalities foreign Baby um Thank you so I firmly believe in my identity and Faith hoping in a world where discrimination cannot ruin other people’s lives and what about the ones who suffer extreme discrimination those who are mentally tortured were we born as Christians or persecuted Christians I hope that you can be the
Connection that helps pave the way for a brighter future for Christian youth in Pakistan thank you thank you Florina neeru and Cheryl Holy Father we invite your responses and conversation with these students thank you intervention is conversations in this responses there is uh the word something that always comes up
We have fear persecution you know in this Society that hinders the practicing of our faith but I’m thinking of Martyrs people have spent many years in prison and were innocent a woman she was a woman who had no was not to be blamed yeah no yeah no wrongdoing that she was punished because
Other people fear that Traditions could change and this leads to discrimination and this kind of discrimination is anti-fraternal it is against fraternity what is the root of intolerance I think that playing everything down belittling is wrong people tend to focus on ideas rather than art and social friendships what about them
If you don’t agree with me then you are to blame and then perhaps you will become martyr this is what happens with intolerance when we lose the social the sort of the social aspect the language of fraternity because of ideas we become ideologists and unfortunately will become ideologists of our own cultural suicide Also appreciated when someone said God has a plan for me so the only thing that really matters is bearing witness and testimonies and your life is full of testimonies you talk about taking a leap of faith to head toward Jesus so courage and faith you were also mentioning minorities Christians are not accepted
So you must keep on walking the path of fraternity you are dreamers you said it’s great to Dream It’s good to dream to dream that you can live having different points of views always holding out your hand that’s the basic issue one can have different thoughts different ideas but the hand must reach
Out I might have a different view but we are brothers this allows all of us to grow never forget this sure when you’re experiencing a persecution well that’s a little different but again it’s a matter of forgiveness it’s a matter of reaching out your hand this is what Jesus teaches
Us you have truly touched my heart with this Christian testimony you are giving thank you very much on behalf of myself and these students thank you Holy Father for sharing this time with us it is now my pleasure to introduce Mr Suman Gale of Saint Xavier’s College in Nepal
Thank you Dr Rose and good day Holy Father it’s an honor to be with you today I am the assistant librarian at St Davis College in Kathmandu here in Nepal it’s my pleasure to introduce you to the final group of students Merlin Rosemary Jason Surya and Rohan chawla
These students represent groups of young people meeting in Chennai Bangalore and Delhi in India Merlin welcome to this conversation holiness from St Joseph University Bengaluru India Holy Father you’ve been an inspiration to millions of people around the world with us Holy Father I remember sitting on my bed
As a 13 year old girl and crying unconsolably during my nighttime prayers asking God many questions like what is wrong with me why did you meet me this way why I couldn’t be thin like my friends and my cousins and what people give me for what I am
But now after so many years I realized that it was not my fault body streaming is the dangerous thing which we use to hurt people it’s privilege in all societies and its growing steadily it lowers the person’s testing and increases anxiety it is because so common that most of the
Time when a person has been mocked for his or her physical appearance that person accepted as normal and you have to recognize that it violates human rights the right to dignity most of us are prone to body shaming on social media platforms which means we receive negative comments when we don’t
Match with beauty standards set by our society we also wish people committing suicide just because your Holiness I along with my teammate if they impranov and gitanjali would like to do something to address this problem online group organized post campus and comments spreading a message which is deliberately body affirming positive
Focused on health and not on appears how do you understand this challenge of maintaining a positive selfish and strong social media culture thank you your business a heartfelt greeting to your Holiness and esteemed members of this now and fellow students my name is Jason Surya
And I am from Chennai which is in Tamil Nadu in the Southeastern part of India I am studying Bachelor of Commerce at Loyola College Chennai your Holiness as a student I really grapple with the profound ships around me the expectations the competitive environment and a constantly changing socio-economic landscape
Can leave us feeling overwhelmed and isolated in India where of the population is Young more than 7.6 percent of them attempt suicide every year in that five percentage of those are under 18 years old this year Alone 17 youngsters have taken their own lives this is a serious
Situation that must not be ignored the immense pressure on young minds has increased suicide atoms family pressure parental expectations love failures competitiveness limited opportunities and an interns creating system make the students depressed and eventually attempt or commit suicide the students have become so weak emotionally and not able to put up with
Failures in life your Holiness in the name of every student and during these struggles we want to organize and advocate for increased Mental Health Services in our universities we also want to set an example and share with our peers how important it is to seek help when you need it and to affirm
That is it okay to seek help when you need it your Holiness how do we build up the resilience of such students to encounter such difficulties how do we instill optimism hope and meaning in their lives and show them that life is beautiful amidst failures and struggles
Life is a struggle to be more how can we Inspire young people who are going through tough times in their lives thank you your homeless Pope Francis Social media platforms But we are These issues so we can use media sensibly and responsibility thank you Maryland jasons and Rohan Holy Father we invite you for your responses and conversation thank you Very much chemistry so we are colleagues foreign when I was 13 years old you said um that you were crying because you were not thin well this is something that is influencing us is something coming from the outside something artificial you do everything to appear and not to be so this body shaming
So I recall um a friend of mine who was um a bit fat and we would actually mock him so I dare say bullying him we once hit him and he fell down and when I got home my father was informed about this and it took me to this schoolmates place to
Um apologize then I became a priest I lost all contact but um but one day he came to see me and he had become an Evangelical pastor drama he had overcome all his trauma all his bullying all this shame always body shame she died recently but it was beautiful
There’s the beauty that is the beauty of the harmony of the individual regardless of you being fat thin short tall the important thing is to live in harmony in Harmony in your hearts can you offer something harmonic something that is in tune with nature so Beauty makes us grow
In terms of our mental health every man every woman have their own Beauty we only have to learn how to see it how to recognize it sometimes sometimes maybe we’re not that beautiful but we are in full harmony with our Beauty as a person as an individual foreign plastic surgery
Um serves no purpose because this beauty is going to fade eventually there was a famous actress Anna manyani um and when talking about her wrinkles she said no I won’t get rid of them it costs me to get these wrinkles they are my beauty so we all have our Beauty and
We have to accept it and we have to live in harmony with it we have to live in harmony with the beauty of our hearts is mentioned the social media the um impact they have on mental health and also on the suicide rates we have tried to protect our mental
Health from the intrusion of the media when we are sold artificial um beauties for example when a woman is pregnant and pregnant when a woman is expecting of course her body shape is not beautiful per se but expecting a child it was is one of the most beautiful things ever so it’s
Not only a question of measurements of sizes it’s a harmonic beauty that every woman Every Man Has and we have to cherish that then you mentioned uh suicide uh among young people well this is a tragic reality young people commit suicide because they are faced with a closed
Door so they were looking for something and they couldn’t find it there are countries where the suicide rate is incredibly High among young people because they um can’t manage failure especially when they can’t find a job so they lose all hope and failure in their life is actually a
Call it’s it’s an appeal so we’re not angels because angels have fallen only once whereas we fell many times due to our limits but God always gives us the resilience to stand up again so he takes us by our hands and helps us stand up the important thing is not
Not to fall but not to stay or lay on the ground that’s wisdom I fall down but then I stand up again and if I give a hand to someone this is regardless of the background of that person then does the question of manipulation digital manipulation Windows digital manipulation
This is actually altering our understanding of social and political reality so what’s really pressing is being educated to a new form of communication to avoid this anxiety of digital manipulation so us professionals our students I’m asking you to take a critical stance towards the positions expressed by the
Media by TV programs so you are University students you must have some critical thinking you must have some critical uh attitudes because sometimes people say young people are complaining about everything just because they’re young well it’s not true they’re looking for a better world that is why they are
Criticizing the limits they are Faith so please move forward and look for the true beauty and the true Harmony of an individual a person that lives in harmony regardless of being fat thin skinny um as the most important thing thank you very much it was great to meet you please move on
And don’t be afraid in effect I can leave you with a piece of advice don’t lose your sense of humor don’t lose your sense of humor come on because humor means mental health thank you very much on behalf of myself and this student thank you Holy Father for sharing your
Time with us it’s now my pleasure to introduce Dr Sunita rajamani of Saint Joseph’s University in Bangalore India thank you Mr Suman and thank you Holy Father for your presence with us today I am assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry at Saint Joseph’s University in Bangalore India
First of all I thank Father Richard director office for international Affairs and Joseph’s University Bengaluru India who gave opportunity to these students at sju Saint Joseph’s University to be a part of this meeting in working with a group of students here and through listening to these young
People and your dialogue with them today it is clear to me that we all are called to work together in new ways educational institutions have a key role to play just as the church has a key role to play and so we are in need to make more intentionally integrate students like
These into our discussions and decision making we need to uplift their perspective create space for them to share their voices and encourage their agency to work for their common good of their communities and our shared world Holy Father you have spoken about the need to hear the voices of those who are
Afraid and anxious and in response to this you call us not to globalize fear rather you implore us to globalize Hope this encounter today I believe is in many ways helping all of us involved in this initiative to understand what globalizing hope signifies and requires thank you for your presence today and
Your engagement with these students from across South Asia I also thank all our friends at Loyola University Chicago and their collaborators at the pontifical commission for Latin America for developing the building bridges initiative and for inviting young people from across South Asia to participate thank you
I am inspired by what I have witnessed today thank you to the student Representatives the many students who participated in the regional groups and the professors and staff who accompanied them thank you also to our partnering institutions in South Asia for your support and kind assistance everyone your focus and energetic work
Has been extraordinary the building bridges initiative at Loyola University Chicago brings you these events through our partnership with the pontifical commission for Latin America thank you Dr Emil sakuda Secretary of the commission for your continued support essential to the success of the building bridges initiative we also think Cardinal Tolentino the prefect of
The dicastery for culture and education who sent an encouraging message to the students and all involved in preparing for this event today you can read that message by visiting the event website we also thank Cardinal Mario greck Secretary General of the Senate of Bishops and express deep gratitude to
Sister Natalie bakar under Secretary of the Senate of Bishops for her uh lovely and substantive message offered today finally Holy Father with sincere appreciation for your presence and encouragement we turn to you once again uh today as always you met us with Pastoral Care by engaging with us person
To person listening well to our hopes and dreams are griefs and anxieties to listen well I am personally reminded of a bit of wisdom some humor Holy Father that my own father shared on this topic and that is that God gave us two ears and one mouth for a reason
Probably because listening well to one another requires so much the holy desire for understanding and the self-gifts of good spirit Goodwill and good work these virtues were on full display today with our students and professors and may they continue to be 11 to our world person to person
Holy Father we are praying for you and we are praying for good listening for good dialogue in the Sin and meetings that begin next week in Rome and so with that Holy Father we thank you again for your time and for your wisdom for your good care for us today and every day
And we ask you Holy Father to close our event with your blessing please bless you and protect you may God shine upon you and show you the way granting you peace I’m back on you the blessing the name of the father of the son of the Holy Spirit
I need prayers pray for me thank you very much true
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