At the end of the
twentieth century, the majority of the population of Latin America is under the
age of 30. As this generation of youth assumes the responsibilities of
conducting the affairs of society, it will encounter a landscape of bewildering
contrast. On the one hand, the region can justly boast brilliant achievements
in the intellectual, technological and economic spheres. On the other, it has
failed to reduce widespread poverty or to avoid a rising sea of violence that
threatens to submerge its peoples. Why - and the question needs to be asked
plainly -- has this society been impotent, despite its great wealth, to remove
the injustices that are tearing its fiber apart?
The answer to
this question, as amply evidenced by decades of contentious history, cannot be
found in political passion, conflicting expressions of class interest, or
technical recipes. What is called for is a spiritual revival, as a prerequisite
to the successful application of political, economic and technological
instruments. But there is a need for a catalyst. Be assured that, in spite of
your small numbers, you are the channels through which such a catalyst can be
provided.
- The Universal House of Justice (From a message dated 8 January 2000
addressed to the friends gathered at the Youth Congress in Paraguay)
