Yes!
Of course the Holy Father did not mention yesterday's March For Our Lives in Washington, but he is no doubt very much aware of it. He also respects young people, perhaps more than their own parents do in some cases. I've read comments on Facebook and on other sites suggesting that youth are being manipulated, that they are too immature to effect policy change, making fun of them as the Tide-pod generation and so on.
So many so called adults are completely dismissive of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School group of survivors - not surprisingly, Fr. Z lays it up to 'teen emotions' - this statement after returning home from the gun range with his mom. In typical fashion, he goes after another commenter scolding: The immature should not be making public policy, especially these days when they are under the thumbs of the left in their schools. Other comments on his post suggest the students are manipulated by Soros and the Deep State - typical scapegoats for anything they can't control.
Speaking of moms, one mother on FB said one of the student leaders, David Hogg needs to be 'bitch-slapped' - a somewhat gay expression she may have picked up from her ex-husband. Not long ago, another politician attempted to shame one of the young women, Emma Gonzalez, calling her a lesbian. Such remarks are a form of bullying and decidedly immature. As the Pope pointed out: “The temptation to silence young people has always existed.”
“There are many ways to silence young people and make them invisible. Many ways to anesthetize them, to make them keep quiet, ask nothing, question nothing. There are many ways to sedate them, to keep them from getting involved, to make their dreams flat and dreary, petty and plaintive,” he said.
“Dear young people, you have it in you to shout,” he told young people, urging them to be like the people who welcomed Jesus with palms rather than those who shouted for his crucifixion only days later.
“It is up to you not to keep quiet. Even if others keep quiet, if we older people and leaders, some corrupt, keep quiet, if the whole world keeps quiet and loses its joy, I ask you: Will you cry out?”
The young people in the crowd shouted, “Yes!” - Reuters
I'm inspired by the Parkland students. I'm so happy to see them activating a generation. I pray they will not allow themselves to be corrupted or manipulated - with the Pope I pray they will not be silenced or cowered into submission, or fall prey to or spoiled by success and celebrity. Stay true.
I think it is important to note that they are not against the 2nd Amendment as so many fear. To quote David Hogg: "What a lot the media, and especially Fox News, has messed up with me is they’ve made it seem like I’m trying to take away people’s guns — that I’m against the Second Amendment,” Hogg said. “My father is a retired FBI agent. I have guns in my house. I’m not against the Second Amendment.” - Source
