May 21, 2018 (LifeSiteNews) – On Sunday, group of Catholic youth released a response to the “pre-synod” document that has been given to Pope Francis, explaining in it they want “reverence in the liturgy,” wider availability of the Traditional Latin Mass, and for the Church to proclaim unpopular truths “boldly, without apology, and without adulteration or dilution.”

“I hope to see this document start an authentic, accurate dialogue about the wants and needs of the young church that can have a positive and lasting impact upon the Catholic Church as a whole,” Connor McLaughlin, a 20-year-old spearheading the initiative, told LifeSiteNews.

“We do not desire any watering down [or] alterations to the teachings of the Church,” says the document, which was prepared by orthodox young people concerned their participation in “pre-synod” discussions via Vatican-sanctioned Facebook groups was ignored.

“We reject utterly the notion that the Church needs to change her teaching to accommodate the world,” the youth wrote. “We desire that the Church fulfils her charism of teaching, preaching the truth boldly, unashamedly, and without redaction even if it means we are rejected by the world. The Church is not a Facebook page trying to get as many likes as possible by being ‘modern’ or ‘trendy;’ it is the teacher of truth.”

“The surest way to damage or even destroy the faith of young people is by promulgating a disingenuous or misguided alteration of the truth in a bid for popularity,” they continued. “We desire the Church to be popular, as we desire all to know the love of Christ. However, if the choice is between popularity and authenticity, we choose authenticity.”

“It is of utmost importance that the Church be a ‘light [which] shines in the darkness’ rather than a receptacle for the failures of the world,” the three-section document says. “The Church must inform the culture rather than the culture informing the Church.”

“The Holy Catholic Church has survived the threats and persecutions levied against Her by countless societies, emperors, kings, and governments; She has done this through holding fast to the rock upon which she was founded, the pillar of truth given by Christ at Her institution. We must not submit ourselves to the sinfulness of the modern era. The prince of this world, satan, desires nothing more than to have Christ’s mystical body bow down to his commands and ingest his wicked lies. We must stand strong against the forces demanding that we change our doctrine and our faith in order to be ‘relevant’ to modern man.”

Organizers say a second part of the document is forthcoming.

They do not want to be heard “as voices raised in chorus against the Church or against the Pre-Synod Meeting or English Language Group, but as faithful sons and daughters, speaking humbly and more fully on these topics which are near and dear to our hearts,” they concluded. “We express our abiding gratitude to Our Holy Father and the organizers and participants of the Pre-Synod and Synod Meeting, for without these people we would have no occasion to be heard. We submit this document and its forthcoming sister document once again to the care of our Blessed Mother as we offer it to the scrutiny of the Synod Fathers and the wider Catholic community.”

LifeSiteNews presents a full copy of the document below.

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