Christianity can play a huge part in helping young people come to terms with the realities of the world today – and that includes helping them to find their real self among life’s problems.

Recently, at the #StopcyberbullyingDay conference hosted by WeZum, the international youth observatory of the Pontifical Scholas Occurrentes Foundation, Pope Francis praised the youths for their efforts via a video message.

“An issue that concerns me a lot is that each one of you should find your own identity, and without the need to diminish or obscure the identity of others. Finding your own identity is a path, it is a path of dialogue, it is a path of reflection, it is an inner path,” the Holy Father said.

“And a very easy way not to do it in the right way is to attack or diminish the identity of others. Here bullying is born. Bullying is a phenomenon of self-compensation, self-assessment, not of finding myself, but of decreasing the other to feel better. It means learning to look from top to bottom, and badly.”

Preaching the gospel of being one’s brother’s keeper, Pope Francis urged young Christians to go the extra mile in helping those in need.

“Do not forget that it is only legitimate [in one way] for one person to look at another downwards, from above, do you know when? When helping them to get up. Any other way of looking from above downwards is not legitimate.

“And when it occurs in youth groups, in schools, in neighbourhoods, wherever, in these expressions of aggression, bullying, you see the poverty of the identity of the person who attacks, who needs to attack in order to feel that he or she is a person.”

He continued: “In the pharmacy [they] do not sell remedies against bullying; laboratories have not yet achieved the formula. Meanwhile, what to do? The only way is to share, to live together, to dialogue, to listen to the other, to take time to walk together, to take time because it is time that makes the relationship.

“Do not be afraid to dialogue; each of us has something to give to the other. Each one of us has something good to give to the other, each one of us needs to receive something good from the other.”

Pope Francis described this dialogue as a powerful tool to break down barriers. “Dialogue, the dialogue that makes us equal, not in identity – we all have different identities – makes us equal along the way. We are journeyers, all equal; we all walk, all different, but all in harmony.

“Declare war on bullying, because it diminishes dignity, and stand up for dialogue; walking together, with patience of listening to the other. The peace will then be strong, and that same strong peace will let you discover your own dignity, your own dignity. May God bless you, and go ahead, do not be afraid of dialogue, it is worthwhile.”

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Compiled by Chinedu Onyejelem

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