Bishop emphasises on morals, ethics

By LORRAINE KLUKI
CHILDREN and young people must be clothed with love and concern so they can become responsible citizens for today as well as tomorrow, says Bishop Otto Separy.
Bishop Otto is president of Catholic Bishop Conference of Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands (PNGSI) and Bishop of Bereina Diocese, who shared his perspectives during the feast day of Saint Francis de Sales last Wednesday about how religion and laity could work together for spiritual accompaniment.
“Children and youths are not the problem if parents teach them about their faith. We should start now to prepare them for tomorrow.
“Parents must educate their children about what is right and what is wrong,” Bishop Otto said.
He said the formation of children’s moral conscious starts at home where children could distinguished between right and wrong.
“What happened on Jan 10 is a pastoral issue as well, not just law and order. Christians are the ones that looted and burned the shops.
“Today, what is wrong is perceived as right and people must not act on their feelings,” Bishop Otto said.
He said parents, including churches, needed to confront these issues through education and fostering moral consciousness as the foundation for children so they could live positively and successfully.
Bishop Otto emphasised that parents, teachers and elders needed to provide children and youths the avenue where could express themselves.
He said it was their duty too to make sure that this group in society did not suffer from physical, sexual or emotional abuse.
He urged people to actively participate in the faith formation, so they can promote an atmosphere of listening, participate in decision making, and build a community of faith.