By CNA English Newsroom
Editorial staff – Friday, August 2, 2024, 2:15 p.m.
For Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich SJ, “the center of the Church is not the clergy,” but also not “the professional lay people.” Rather, “the center is the people and also the youth. And the youth are searching for God. The youth are open to God, to Jesus Christ, to the Gospel.”
Hollerich is the Archbishop of Luxembourg and is considered a close collaborator of Pope Francis, who plays a key role in the World Synod on Synodality and is part of the Council of Cardinals, consisting of nine cardinals, which advises the Pontiff. He made the statement at the end of the altar boys’ pilgrimage to Rome, in which a total of around 50,000 altar boys took part. The highlight was a special audience with Pope Francis on Tuesday in St. Peter’s Square.
“I believe that we have to adapt much more to people, to reach out to people much more,” said Hollerich on Thursday in an interview with the Cologne Domradio convinced. “Not with this lecturing that we think people want to hear or are interested in. We should really start from the questions they have in their lives.”
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The altar boy pilgrimage was “absolutely fantastic,” said the cardinal. “Especially the audience with the Pope. The young people came to St. Peter’s Square in great heat. But that did not spoil the mood. The people were happy to be part of the church, happy to be there together.”
Of the altar boys he met during the week in Rome, Hollerich said that they “sometimes have a depth of faith that I would never have expected. This is the church of today, but these young people will also be the church of tomorrow.”
“And I sense a great commitment, a love for God and for people,” he emphasized. “I’m looking forward to this church of the future.”
The CNA German newsroom has been providing global reporting from a Catholic perspective in German since 2015, supported by partner agencies based in Rome, Washington, Lima, São Paulo, Nairobi, and Kirkuk. CNA German is a service of EWTN News. You can reach the editorial team by email: CNAdeutsch@catholicna.com
