Yesterday, Monsignor Jean Michaël Durhône, 12th Bishop of Port-Louis presented his first Pastoral Letter focusing on youth, political and civic awareness, entitled: “Zenes Dibout pou to pei!”.
For his Pastoral Letter, Bishop Durhône reminds us that in the name of building Mauritian society, it is important to cultivate this awareness on an ongoing basis. “Does political and civic awareness only need to be cultivated at election time?” says the new bishop of Port-Louis, introducing the document made public on Tuesday April 16 at the Port-Louis bishopric, before going on to say that “reflection on this question […] seems essential to continue building Mauritian society ‘as one people, as one nation, in peace, justice and liberty'”.
Confidence and hope in youth
Like his predecessors, Mgr Durhône says he believes deeply in our country’s youth. “I believe […] that you, young people, have extraordinary potential that deserves to be developed. In addressing you, I express my deep conviction that you have much to give to our beloved Republic of Mauritius”, he says in the introduction to the Pastoral Letter, illustrated in a modern way with colors and illustrations inspired by street art, some designs having been conceived with the help of artificial intelligence.
Young people as stakeholders in the pursuit of the common good
Taking as his starting point the great texts and reference documents published by the Catholic Church, such as Vatican II, Mgr Durhône sets out the aim of politics in several areas: achieving living together, pursuing the common good, and controlling violence, among others. To achieve these goals, the Bishop of Port-Louis invites young people to get involved: “In solidarity with humankind, you cannot turn your back on the realities of this rapidly changing world. It is your duty as a citizen to get involved in building the future of Mauritian society. It’s up to you to help restore politics to its rightful place. By reclaiming politics and citizenship, political commitment can become a path of hope”.
In the 3rd chapter, the Bishop of Port-Louis details, with illustrations, the various ways of awakening our young people to political and civic awareness:
- Learning about democracy ;
- Training young people in social and political leadership;
- Working together for the emergence of Mauritian citizenship.
Listening to young people
Fraternity, the fight against addictions, ecology, the healthy use of social networks… Bishop Durhône takes up topical themes and invites young people to reflect and formulate their project for society. The bishop is keen to hear their aspirations and has set up an e-mail address: [email protected] to gather proposals from Mauritian youth. This listening has already begun. Indeed, several young people from different backgrounds have contributed to the reflections undertaken by Mgr Durhône as part of the drafting of his Pastoral Letter.
