The Next Generation of Catholic Leaders.... in action at Georgetown?

John Allen recently published an interesting article called "The Next Generation of Catholic Leaders", on a  topic that we've addressed on MOJ in the past -- the nature of a perceived generational shift in attitudes toward the Church.  He writes:

Most empirical data has pegged this cohort of young priests, religious and lay activists as more "conservative," and there's a good deal of truth to that claim. In general, they're more attracted to traditional modes of devotion and prayer, less resistant to ecclesiastical authority, and less inclined to challenge church teaching and discipline.

Yet, I argued, slapping the label "conservative" on all this is potentially misleading, because it assumes an ideological frame of reference, as if younger Catholics are picking one side or the other in the church's version of the culture wars. My sense is that these young people are not so much reacting to (or against) anything in the church, but rather secular culture. In a nutshell, they're seeking identity and stability in a world that seems to offer neither.

Proof of the point comes when you drill with these young Catholics. You'll find they often hold views on a wide variety of issues -- such as the environment, war and peace, the defense of the poor and of immigrants, and the death penalty -- which don't really fit the ideological stereotype.

These observations are hardly unique to me, of course, but I included them because I wanted to issue a plea to Catholics my age and older.

This new generation seems ideally positioned to address the lamentable tendency in American Catholic life to drive a wedge between the church's pro-life message and its peace-and-justice commitments. More generally, they can help us find the sane middle between two extremes: What George Weigel correctly calls "Catholicism lite," meaning a form of the faith sold out to secularism; and what I've termed "Taliban Catholicism," meaning an angry expression of Catholicism that knows only how to excoriate and condemn. Both are real dangers, and the next generation seems well-equipped to steer a middle course, embracing a robust sense of Catholic identity without carrying a chip on their shoulder.

The students at Georgetown Law Center offer an example that demonstrates that this interest in breaking down "ideological stereotypes" is not necessarily limited to Catholic youths.  The Georgetown Progressive Alliance for Life and the Georgetown Law Students for Reproductive Justice are co-hosting a symposium on Friday, November 13, titled:  "A New Abortion Debate:  Emerging Perspectives on Choice, Life, and Law."  Both Susan Stabile and I will be moderating panels at this program.  Here's the description:

The long-standing debate over the legality of abortion in the United States can often be politically divisive and can drain resources and attention from other issues that affect the health and well-being of women and families. The goal of this symposium is to bring together pro-choice and pro-life scholars and activists who are interested in new and emerging ideas about the abortion debate, and the role that it plays in the U.S. and abroad. This includes both scholars working on "common ground" policy or philosophical scholarship, as well as other individuals who are seeking to broaden the scope of the abortion debate to non-legal and non-constitutional themes.