TWO hundred Church of Ireland young people have found their church's bishops and clergy guilty of avoiding difficult subjects like sex and drugs, being afraid to take a stand on controversial issues, preaching boring sermons, and generally being irrelevant to young people's lives.
The guilty verdicts were reached at an unprecedented young adult forum" organised by the Church of Ireland Youth Council and held at St Patrick's College, Drumcondra, in Dublin yesterday.
It took the form of a mock courtroom presentation and was attended by young people aged from 15 to 21 from dioceses throughout the island. The Primate, Archbishop Robin Eames, and 10 other bishops were present.
Afterwards Archbishop Eames, whose idea the forum was, said what the bishops and lay church leaders had heard was "a genuine cry" from young people who "appreciated the opportunity to speak to a church that is open, with nothing to hide."
He said the message from the young people should also be listened to by other Irish churches, especially the Catholic Church, which was facing a period of "vast questioning." He said Catholics asked him almost weekly about the Church of Ireland's democratic "synodical" structure, and this weekend's youth forum was an extension of that.
Stressing the importance of the Church of Ireland's "message of openness and making the church relevant" in the new Ireland Archbishop Eames went on: "Ireland is becoming more and more secular, whether the churches like it or not. There are parts of Irish life where we're being pushed to the sidelines.
This was clear from the majority of contributions to yesterday's session. Ross O'Connor of Delgany, Co Wicklow, was applauded when he said the church's relevance to his age group was "weak"; it often seemed to be more relevant as "a social occasion for older people and gossips"; there was no feed back allowed on sermons; and that after confirmation at 14 there was no useful role for young people except to continue attending out of habit.
The proposal that "Church of Ireland young people do not come into contact with drug related activities" was greeted with loud laughter.
The charge that the church does not understand the pressure young people are under to have sex was graphically illustrated by a sketch in which a teenage boy and a group of girls flirted while a group of 50 young people chorused in a loud whisper "Sex, sex, sex."
Susie Wilson from Dalkey, Co Dublin, warned that older clergy had never been trained in interactional skills and were not adequately equipped to interpret body language and hidden feelings, or to encourage people to talk to them about sensitive problems. "Some are unable to show empathy and approaching them for advice doesn't seem appropriate".
She proposed that such a task should be delegated by senior clergy to a younger, more approachable person, and that refresher courses in such skills should be made compulsory for clergy.
She brought forward a young man dressed as her discussion group's "ideal rector" complete with "big ears for listening, a warm and caring heart, and wings for reaching out to people."
Sarah Hamilton, from Fermanagh, said the church did not give young people the scope to take part in its mission. Her group would like to see the church "sharing God's love in a practical way, starting with helping the vulnerable in our own communities, and standing up for God's laws."
There was a general desire for the church to become more involved in counselling, support and employment and housing action.
One of the weekend's most striking aspects was the young people's use of computer and video technology and electronic music to illustrate their criticisms of the out of touch church of their elders. They also presented, a multi media worship service, complete with large screen pictures of the Holocaust and of homeless people.
Richard Tullett, from Coleraine, Co Derry, said he looked forward to a service in the next century when the rector would turn to a large TV screen at the front of the church and hand over to a missionary from South America.