Just outward manifestations?

There is no doubt that one of the characteristics of John Paul II's historic funeral was the vast number of young men and women who went to pay their last respects to the Polish Pope as he lay in state. Young men and women with tears in their eyes waiting for long hours to see John Paul II for the last time were a common sight.

Many who were interviewed on TV spoke of their love for the deceased Pontiff. They had nothing but praise for him. "He understood us. He loved us. Age made no difference. He inspired us. He joined in singing..."

These statements are very impressive. Young people are by nature attracted to those who, in their view at least, share their love of life, their energy and no less their way of thinking and behaving. That is why it is not so easy to understand their attraction to the late Pope. He was, as he himself admitted during one of the meetings with them, quoting a Polish proverb, that mixing with the youth made him feel young at heart. And he said this when he was already visibly wracked by disease. The broad smile on his face, the movements and gestures of his arms, proved that he was in fact feeling young at heart.

One question however arises: did the youths' great affection for the aged Pope have a bearing on their beliefs and way of life? Or was it just an outward expression, a manifestation which one often expresses when one is carried away by the prevailing atmosphere?

This is a difficult question to answer. No surveys, as far as is known, have been carried out to find out where the truth lies. One hopes that John Paul II's hold on the many millions of young women and men all over the world did have an influence on their beliefs and the way they behaved.

A Maltese young man who, like his foreign counterparts, had an almost obsessive admiration for the late Pope, did admit during a discussion that he was not in agreement with the Church's and the Pope's stand on contraception and homosexuality.

It can be safely assumed that the young man's views are shared by not a few. In fact, according to the survey published in this newspaper last week 33.3% (one out of three) said that they disagreed with the Church on sex outside marriage.

If (and the operative word here is "if") those millions or the majority of them who thronged the streets and squares to acclaim the Pope wherever he went are not prepared to accept his and the Church's teachings on moral issues, on abortion, premarital sex, gay marriages, etc., their admiration and enthusiasm were just outward manifestations for which young men and women are renowned. Let us hope that this is not the case. And this applies to youths as well as adults; to all outward religious manifestations wherever they are held, including of course towns and villages in Malta and Gozo.