Hi Everyone,

Dominic, myself and a few other friends have written this letter and
are hoping to get it published in the Catholic (or even secular)
press in October.
It aims to affirm the truth of the Catholic faith and tries to convey
the enthusiasm of orthodox young Catholics in the precepts of their
religion. We hope that as many young Catholics as possible will sign
the letter, and provide a witness both to the richness of our
Catholic faith and the loyalty of young Catholics to the Church in
the face of such widespread apathy and hostility.

I hope you will agree to be one of the co-signatories of this letter.
I would also really appreciate it if you could forward this letter to
other Catholics in Britain in their 20s who might also agree to sign
it. All signatories should let me know their name and location by
email (k.mccaffrey@...) so that I can collate them all.

I have copied the text of the letter below for you to see.

Thanks

Kathleen




***************************

To be sent in the week of 11 October 2002

Dear Sir,

The Catholic Church gets a lot of bad press nowadays. It is being
rocked by scandals and damaged by the fact that many Catholics are
openly challenging its discipline and teachings. Disloyalty to the
magisterium is seen as `progressive' while declining Mass attendance
among the younger generation is wrongly presented as proof that the
monolithic Church is losing relevance by its intransigence on moral
and doctrinal issues.

However, on the 40th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican
Council, we, as young Catholics in our 20s, living in different parts
of the UK and engaged in a variety of careers, would like to take
this opportunity to express our deep pride in our Church and our
loyalty to all of its doctrinal and moral precepts. We are united in
our firm belief that God, in His love, has given us the Catholic
Church to be our rock and guide as we make our pilgrimage through
life.

We regard the Catholic faith as a precious jewel of infinite value.
It is a rallying cry to our generation and to our world, and it
represents the only authentic way to fulfilment and truth. We affirm
our acceptance of all the teachings of our Church in the areas of
faith and morals, which we see not as a set of rules but rather as a
holistic world-view enlightening the very meaning and purpose of
creation and life. In the light of this, teachings on abortion,
contraception and the nature of marriage are integral parts of one
beautiful seamless garment and cannot be torn away from the whole.

Vatican II demonstrated the dynamism and continuing inspiration of
the Catholic Church, which seeks to make Jesus Christ known to every
generation while remaining firmly based on the unchanging rock of
Truth and apostolic foundation. We, who are both the future and the
present of the Catholic Church in our land, thank God for our faith
and for our Church, which we resolve to build up throughout our lives.

Yours faithfully,

To be signed by Catholics in their 20s:

Name - Location