ICCRO

1sst International Youth Consultation Rome, Italy

15 - 19 October 1985

Event Report

Youth for the Church of 2000 A.D.

The First International Youth Consultation of the Catholic Charismatic renewal took place in Rome,
15-19 October, 1985. Almost 400 participants from 71 countries and every continent shared their
Christian faith, their hope for the future of humanity, and their great love as children of the
heavenly Father ever 4-day charismatic celebration of the International year of Youth. The variety
of languages, cultures and social backgrounds provided ample scope for the unifying action of the
Spirit, and the resulting communion of hearts and minds (later expressed in the letter they wrote to
the Youth f the World) reached its high point at the Eucharist specially celebrated with and for them
by Pope John Paul II, the friend of Youth.

Besides inspiring talks given by Cardinal Suenens (Belgium), Bishop Valerian DSouza (India). Fr.
Umberto Gomez (Venezuela), and Shyne Bennet (Australia) and enriching workshops on
Integration of Personality (Anita Sanchez, France). Personal Prayer (Fr. Bob Faricy, Rome),
Leadership Formation (Pepe Prado, Mexico), and Social Action and Evangelization /Rev. Rice,
USA), there were very interesting testimonies from Colombia, Sri Lanka, Italy and Gabon, plus
sharing in small groups. The schedule include a daily outing (complete with picnic lunches!) to 3
pilgrimage centers: Tre Fontane, the place of martyrdom of St. Paul; the Catacombe of St. Callistus
and St. Sebastian; and St. Peter Basilica.
On these sites, the Eucharist was celebrated by Bishop Paul Cordes of the Pontifical Council for the
Laity, and by Bishop DSouza in St. Peters at the Holy Spirit altar. Both Bishops challenged the
youth to be fully open to the Holy Spirit, finding him in the riches of the Churchs tradition, and
giving witness of a new personal experience of the Lord in the Renewal. A Holy hour of adoration
before the Blessed Sacrament each day, plus testimonies by Cistercian monks and the Little Sister
of Jesus (of Charles de Foucauld) brought to the youth a profound experience of the life of
contemplation. God also used the liturgical feasts during the Conference (Sts. Callistus, Teresa of
Avila, Hedwing and Margaret Mary, Ignatius of Antioch, Luke the Evangelist and the North
American Jesuit martyrs) to emphasize the Christians call to a personal encounter with the Lord
God in silence and prayer, and to the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Even the sole banner hanging
in the Conference auditorium was that gifted by prayer groups in Uganda, depicting their 22 martyrs
(St. Charles Lwanga and companions) being burned for the Faith.

At the final Eucharist, each delegate accepted a personal 5-inch silver crucifix (copy of the pastoral
cross of John Paul) to hold aloft, as the whole assembly professed its renewed commitment to the
Lordship of Jesus, in the power of the Holy Spirit, for the glory of the Father. The letter drafted by
nine youth representatives of the three language groups (Spanish, English and French) and
incorporating ideas contributed by the different sharing groups was accepted by the whole assembly
as their very own letter. And so the delegates went off joyfully, with new vision, renewed loyalty,
and deeper commitment to the cause of human progress, justice, peace and prosperity. We believe
that these seeds planted in Rome will be carefully watered and tended in the places the youth go
back to (1 Cor. 3:6), and that God himself will make them grow abundantly and abidingly, even
unto to Church of the soon-to-be-reached twenty-first century.
The Pope's words at Mass (Sala Clementina, 17 October 1985)
Dear Brothers and Sisters, on the occasion of the International Youth Conference held at Domus
Pacis in Rome, and organized by the International Catholic Charismatic Renewal Office, you have
expressed the wish to pray with the Pope. I am happy to greet you this morning as you join me in
this celebration of the Eucharist. In this International Youth Year, I am especially pleased to
welcome you, who are youth Leaders in the Church. You are well aware that young people enjoy a
special place in my heart. And therefore I have a great desire to offer encouragement and support to
leaders of youth like yourself. You can be sure that I pray for you often and it is a joy to be with you
today.
The Liturgy is the focal point of all the activities of the Church. United with Christ as with one
another, we place ourselves before our heavenly Father and offer him our hymn of thanksgiving and
praise. We also bring to Him our desires and needs. At this Mass in which we are all celebrating the
feast of St. Ignatius of Antioch, we pray for all young people throughout the world and in particular
for those in the Church. We ask God, our Father, to draw them ever closer to Himself and to the
heart of His only Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ. And now to prepare ourselves to celebrate these
sacred mysteries, let us open our minds and hearts to God, and let us call to mind our sins

LETTER TO THE YOUTH OF THE WORLD
I. The Event: During this International Year of Youth, 400 of us young people from 71 countries
and every continent have met in Rome to share our faith and to strengthen our hope. The diversity
of our languages, cultures and social backgrounds have enriched our experience of being together,
and provided us with a sure sign that it is possible for all to live in unity. The climax of our deep
communion was reached in the Eucharist celebrated with us by Pope John Paul II, the friend of
youth.
Inspired by the witness of the early Christian Martyrs, and experiencing in a real and profound way
the unity of the Church, we wish to proclaim with a renewed sense of responsibility what think and
believe and hope.
II. The worlds situation: With love, God created a world that was very good (Gen. 1,31), and
he crowned his work by forming man and woman in his own image and likeness.
However, being deceived, man separated from God, taking with him the rest of creation. The origin
of every evil suffered by humanity lies in this separation. By turning away from God, man also cut
himself off from his brothers and sisters, and lost his inner harmony and peace. Hence there is seen
division in every order.
In spite of the many available means of communication, man seems incapable of communicating in
truth and of achieving unity with love. Deep emotional hurts impede this full realization.

Though created for happiness, man suffers from disease of materialism and consumerism. Called to
freedom, he is enslaved by unjust systems, as much in the political as in the economic fields, and
indeed in the religious as well. In spite of the many advances in production, hunger grips much of
the world. And though there is a real longing for peace, people still suffer from war, and the terrible
threat of nuclear catastrophy remains.
In such a labyrinth, man searches for a solution that neither ideologies nor the false messianism of
esoteric spiritualism or occultism can offer. Far from liberating man, these drive him to despair
because they cannot offer and integral and wholesome answer for human existence.
Hence, there are those who think that the world in condemned to live forever under the power of
arms, to be ruled by the law of the strongest, and there exists no solution at all for their many
anxieties.
III. Our faith: We, young people from the whole world, in the face of so much evil and so much
despair, now shout out our conviction that there is a solution for our world, and that we have good
reasons for our hope:
-We believe that God, our Father, eternally young, love us all in a unique and personal way, and has
a plan of abundance for mankind: the building of a civilization of love (Pope Paul VI).
-We believe that Jesus Christ, by his death and resurrection, has recreated all things, and has
inaugurated a Reign of justice, peace and joy. He is the Savior of the world, the Lord of the universe
and of our lives.
-We believe that the Holy Spirit transforms our lives by his power and enables us to be builders of
this civilization of love.
-We believe in the Catholic Church, Gods people., which we see being again and again renewed by
the action of the Holy Spirit, and we affirm our loyalty to it.
-We believe in our fellowmen (brothers and sisters, calle like us to live in freedom, truth, peace and
unity.

IV.Our commitment: Conscious that God is able to transform the world trough our collaboration,
-we commit ourselves to deepen our personal experience of God through fidelity to prayer, through
our participation in the liturgy and the sacraments, especially the Eucharist and Reconciliation,
through reading the revealed Word of God, and by generously welcoming teachings of the Church.
-we commit ourselves to put our hope in Jesus Christ, to live our call to sanctity according to the
spirit of his beatitudes, and to practice it in dedicated service to the poor and the most needy.
-we commit ourselves to stay open to the charisms freely given by the Holy Spirit, for the integral
development of the human personality and the building up in love of the communities to which we
are called, and to use these charisms with boldness and creativity.
We commit ourselves to share humbly and joyfully un the specific grace of the Charismatic
Renewal: effective evangelization, a spirit of praise, spontaneous prayer, the communitarian aspect
of living the charisms, and to offer all this as a gift for the Church and for its unity. We want to
build the civilization of love, fighting for respect for life, for the family, for human dignity, and
the well-being of all men, as well as of the whole man.



Taken from the ICCRO Newsletter November-December 1985.