The make-up of the Synod itself brought out the presence and contribution of many different regions of the world, and highlighted the beauty of our being a universal Church. In a context of growing globalization, the Synod Fathers wanted the many differences between contexts and cultures, even within a single country, to be duly emphasized. The plurality of young people’s worlds is so great that in some countries there is a tendency to use the term “young people” in the plural. The age group considered by the present Synod (16-29 years) does not represent a homogeneous category, but is composed of a number of distinct groups, each with its own life experience. All these differences greatly impact on young people’s concrete experience concerning their various stages of maturation, forms of religious experience, family structure and its importance for the transmission of the faith, relations between generations (for example, the role of the elderly and the respect they are due), ways of taking part in the life of society, attitudes towards the future, and ecumenical and interreligious issues. The Synod acknowledges and welcomes the richness of cultural diversity and puts itself at the service of the communion of the Spirit.
TheoFonsAt the sources of the faith