Hajja Salesjana Apr-June 2019

H AJJA S ALESJANA 6 Mgr Luc Van Looy, SDB, bishop of Ghent, Belgium, was one of the many bishops who participated in the Synod of Bishops on young people that took place in the Vatican last October 2018. For 20 years, he was a missionary in South Korea, and for another 20 years, a member of the General Council of the Salesian Congregation. During this Synod he specifically spoke on the Salesian theme of accompaniment. Hereunder is his speech: “Good afternoon, dear Holy Father and brothers and sisters, boys and girls. I would like to speak about the art of accompanying. It is a task for everyday. Great and saintly educators tell us that the basic rule for accompanying young people is to be present in their lives at all times. Rather than seeing this as controlling, it is the way to friendship and trust, to share the life of children and the young. This may sound like a control on their behavior instead it is the way to friendship and trust, to make them feel free at home with us. Accompaniment: the Salesian holy ground Vatican – Synod, Mgr. Van Looy, SDB: “Accompanying is the way to friendship and trust, to share the life of children and the young”