The increased participation of young people in Catholic groups across the island is good news since they usually make headlines for the wrong reasons, Archbishop Paul Cremona said yesterday.

Mgr Cremona was speaking a at a press conference about the Church’s engagement with young people to mark 30 years since the launch of the Diocesan Youth Commission (KDŻ).

KDŻ president Anthony Mifsud said today some 5,000 youngsters were involved in 70 Catholic groups across the island.

He noted that KDŻ is not just an office that gathers information about these groups, but is a network of Catholic youth groups. Every year, leaders from these groups meet to discuss today’s realities and challenges. Along the years the Church in Malta has invested in the professionalism of these leaders, and since 2009 there have been 18 people that read for a Masters in Youth Ministry. Some 150 other people are following youth leadership courses.

Out of the €150,000 that the Church invests in pastoral work, including the disabled people and culture sectors, some €60,000 was last year invested in youths. “The participation of young people is good news for the whole country because usually young people make headlines for their mistakes. These youngsters are helping others lead a more responsible life,” Mgr Cremona said, adding that the number of young people participating in these groups was increasing.

Mother-of-three Nathalie Vella, who also spoke at the conference, commended the work carried out by these groups, which she said helped her children acquire leadership, responsibility and teamwork skills.

These attributes were listed on their CVs along with their academic qualifications because nowadays employers looked at the whole package that prospective employees could offer, she said.