Scottish Catholic Observer

Bishop Arthur Roche was speaking while attending the World Youth Day celebrations in Madrid and leading a delegation of young pilgrims from his diocese.

Bishop Roche (above) said the recent violence and looting by young people that hit many cities across England was the product of a society that had lost its way.

“It’s the result in no small part of a consumerist society that is lost its sense of values… in fact, it’s lost its Christianity,” he said. He went on to say that he believes the young people responsible for the recent violence are ‘really very unhappy, disenchanted and really in need of God.’

Referring to the WYD event, Bishop Roche said it is a shame that the British media was not in Madrid to see a very different picture of young people.

“To see people full of joy, great generosity in such contrast to what we’ve seen in Britain recently,” he said.

He added the WYD pilgrims in Madrid had ‘an enormous thirst for the truth; and that ‘some of the most surprising conversions (to Catholicism) have been experienced with our young because of WYD.’