YANGON (UCAN) -- I was disappointed to hear about our missing five.

Of the 33 young Catholics who went from Myanmar to the World Youth Day (WYD) in Sydney, those five have failed to come back.

I feel sorry for Father Robert Bya Reh, Myanmar's Catholic youth director. After the July 15-20 event, he spent 10 days in the Australian city trying to find the missing youths and encourage them to return home. Some at least had the decency to phone him, but it is unclear how they see their future.

One other youth was regarded as missing until he returned to Yangon on Aug. 13. A severe fever had kept him hospitalized and out of touch in Australia. The clock stopped for the missing five as their visas expired on Aug. 14.

In 2005, I was lucky enough to take part in the WYD held in Cologne because I had been active in youth affairs of the Church and the opportunity arose.

I still remember the day I heard the good news that the German Embassy agreed to give me a visa. I was happy and, after much time praying before the Blessed Sacrament, I thanked God for giving me a chance to attend the WYD.

I saw Pope Benedict XVI and thousands of young people gathered in Cologne, and I joined them for the final Mass the pope led. I will never forget it.

I also will always remember the hospitality and warmth of the German host parish and families. Some cried when our Myanmar group was about to return.

Back then, we Myanmar delegates could not easily get visas because some had run away at the previous WYD in Canada in 2002. Our problem in 2005 obviously was due to the bad behavior of those who had absconded in 2002.

As I was preparing for WYD 2005, I could not help feeling very sorry for other Myanmar youths who could not get a visa. Only 20 of us succeeded. We, the lucky few, went to Cologne and returned. None of us ran away in 2005.

The Australian visas of the missing youths are expiring, and we have no idea if they will ever come back. The Myanmar Church has a problem on its hands.

Youth directors, bishops and the National Youth Commission of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Myanmar had recommended the five who have gone missing, but I guess the youths already had a plan to run away after WYD.

Some go missing at every WYD. The prosperity they see in the host country entices them to seek a better life. Unfortunately, they do not adequately consider how this could affect others who will apply for visas in the future.

India also "lost" some delegates this year. Nepal sent no delegates at all to Sydney, largely because one of their team had run off in Cologne.

During every WYD, people in Myanmar wait to hear who has disappeared. For the young who must struggle daily in a difficult situation without hope for the future, the WYD looks like an opportunity to explore greener pastures.

As for the future, Myanmar youths may encounter serious problems when they try to get visas to attend the next WYD, to be held in Madrid in 2011.

Myanmar Church leaders are upset about all that has happened. This year's missing youths represent dioceses and the Church in our country, and our Church leaders feel the missing have chosen the wrong path.

I agree. This is not the way to go. Their behavior tarnishes the reputation of the Church and the other young people in Myanmar.

All of this partly reflects the situation prevailing in our country and the Catholic Church. Still, even if the grass looks greener on the other side and the answers we seek lie elsewhere, we must make the best of things at home.

I remember the late Pope John Paul II encouraging young people to work in and develop their own country and to serve the Catholic Church.

I still remember the words our parish priest told us at a youth meeting in Mandalay, something similar to what the late U.S. President John F. Kennedy had said decades before. The priest told us not to ask what the Church will do for youth but ask what youth can do for the Church.

Life is really tough in Myanmar, but this does not mean youth should only think of themselves. If our Church teachings mean anything, young Catholics should be thinking about others, other youths, the Church and their country.

So, I wonder, what lesson can we learn from our missing five? Is there any way the Church can better prepare youths for the next WYD in Spain? How can we help them be less self-centered and more committed to the Church?

Over the years, the Church has tackled all kinds of challenges in its youth ministry. A useful topic to debate right now might be how to encourage young Catholics to better their lives at home.
-----

"Future Star," a UCAN correspondent from Myanmar, asked not to be named.

END