[OPINION] Can young Filipino Catholics spread faith in ‘largest mission land of the world’?

Graphic by Claire Chua/Rappler A survey notes that the Filipino youth are deeply spiritual. But data also shows notable challenges and limitations in doctrinal formation. The Philippines is Southeast Asia’s oldest Christian nation, having embraced Catholicism over 500 years ago in 1521. Today, nearly 79% of the Philippines’ 118.2 million population is Roman Catholic, making it the third-largest Catholic population worldwide. The vitality of this faith is sustained by the Philippines’ relatively young population, with a median age of 25.4, and by a Filipino youth population between 15 and 30 years old of approximately 31.4 million. Acknowledging this reality, Pope John Paul II entrusted the Filipino Catholic youth with the responsibility of spreading the faith in the “largest mission land of the world,” referring to Asia. Furthermore, as recently highlighted in my previous feature of the global “Footprints” study, Pope Francis praised Filipinos’ joy in bringing their faith to other lands and exhorted them to persevere in the work of evangelization. The huge number of Filipino Catholic youth — estimated at 21 million — underscores the importance of their role in the life of the Church, especially in her missional action. But this raises a crucial question: Are the Filipino youth of today in a position to effectively carry out the evangelizing mission being entrusted to them by the Church? Are they properly equipped with the knowledge and understanding of their faith, and do they possess the values and dispositions needed for missional action? The survey of 600 Filipino youth – part of the eight-country global study featured last week – reveals a perhaps unsurprising fact: that Filipino youth are deeply spiritual. Over 84% reported that spirituality was either “very present” or “fairly present” in their lives, showing that any decline in spirituality, faith, or religiosity among Filipino youth has been minimal. Interestingly, male respondents reported rates of spirituality virtually identical to females, defying traditional gender gaps in religiosity. When asked about the attributes they associate with religion, Filipino youth associate it most strongly with attributes tied to mercy — kindness (95%), forgiveness (93.5%), humility (92%), ability to serve (90.5%), and respect for the body and purity (93.3%). Furthermore, an overwhelming majority (96%) affirm the belief that sin exists. Among young believers, a significant 89% believe in God, overwhelmingly perceiving Him as loving, forgiving, and merciful (95.5%) – a personal Being who relates directly to them. Religion also profoundly shapes their personal lives: 84% claim their religious beliefs influence their daily decisions, 90% admire individuals who live according to their religious values, and 88% believe that belonging to a religious community helps one cope with life’s difficulties. However, the survey data also reveals notable challenges and limitations in doctrinal formation. For instance, while 93% believe that each person’s conscience determines what is right and wrong, 53% believe it is not necessary to believe in God to have good values. For young Catholics, while 87% affirm Jesus’ true presence in the Holy Eucharist and 70% agree they cannot live without the Eucharist, 64% simultaneously agree they don’t need to go to Mass to be a good Christian. Additionally, while 92% agree the Bible is a sacred text, 62% believe anyone can read Scripture alone without any mediation from the Church, departing from official Catholic teaching. ‘Right living’ The above findings suggest that contemporary Filipino youth place a greater premium on “right living” as a direct consequence of faith rather than “right believing.” However, having to choose between right living and right believing is upholding an unnecessary dualism. Settling only for right living as if right believing were inferior or unnecessary is settling for an untenable mediocrity. Both are equally crucial because catechesis — the teaching of right believing – is a vital stage in the whole process of evangelization. The results of our study, thus, give us a basis to suggest that the Filipino youth of today are only partially equipped with the proper knowledge and understanding of their faith and still need more strengthening in the values and dispositions needed for the missional action being entrusted to them by the Church. Filipino youth show strong engagement with their faith: they are God-centered, prayerful, Bible-engaged, and sacramentally informed. However, to be better equipped at evangelizing, the evangelizers “should be first evangelized themselves.” Improved catechesis by Christian formators and educators remains vital so that, by addressing gaps in right believing, Filipino youth will be fully equipped to transmit the faith alongside the right living they already emphasize. They may not yet be perfectly prepared for an evangelizing mission, but Filipino youth’s existing foundation positions them to take on this responsibility effectively. Robert Z. Cortes is assistant professor III in the School of Media and Marketing of the University of Asia and the Pacific, with a PhD in social communication. His areas of study and teaching include communication/media ethics; the dynamics of entertainment, cultures, and societies; philosophy of technology; youth media habits and values. This piece was based on an article published in the journal Church, Communication, and Culture and was written by Robert Z. Cortes and Veronica Ramirez. Download it here. How does this make you feel? Loading