MEETING OF Y.C.W.: MAY YOUNG WORKERS BE APOSTLES

VATICAN CITY, OCT 10, 2000 (VIS) - Made public today was a message from Cardinal Secretary of State Angelo Sodano to Nicoletta Pisa, president of the International Coordinating Committee of Young Christian Workers (Y.C.W.), whose members are participating in their Fifth International Council from October 10 to 26 at El Escorial, Spain.

In his message, dated October 2, Cardinal Sodano recalls that the coordinating committee, recognized by the Holy See in 1986, is "rooted in the apostolic vision" of the Belgian priest and later cardinal, Joseph-Leon Cardijn, in the early 20th century. This specialized movement of Catholic Action quickly spread to become "a vibrant movement involving young workers from very different countries, a crucible of Christian activists in the world of labor and a source of enrichment for the mission of the Church in urban and industrialized areas."

"The Holy Father," writes the cardinal, "wishes also to express his appreciation to the ecclesiastical assistants for their valuable help in bringing about the essential goal of the organization: to make young workers apostles and evangelizers of other young people."

The secretary of state highlights that "the international coordinating committee is presently faced with a formidable challenge. Great numbers of young people, caught up in the accelerated and complex changes taking place in the varied sectors of the world of labor, are in need of a renewed presentation of the Christian message." Often the young people affected are "victims of unjust exploitation, ... (and) are tempted to violence and crime. Despite the dechristianized environments from which they come, these young people are still looking for meaning in life."

"For this reason," concludes the cardinal, "the Holy Father strongly encourages them to promote the development of Y.C.W. groups in order to provide for the formation of young workers at every level, a formation which will help them to encounter Christ as the primary and superabundant response to all their yearnings."

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