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Pope Francis, visiting Japan, denounced an “epidemic” of bullying that torments young people in Japan but also around the world.
“We must all unite against this culture of bullying and learn to say ‘Enough!’
“It is an epidemic, and together you can find the best medicine to treat it.”
“Bullies are afraid, and they cover their fear by showing ‘strength’” the Pontiff said.
He made the comments while talking with students in Japan, and was responding to testimony from students who recalled the pressures they face in a hyper-competitive society.
The students described their feelings of inadequacy and the cruelty they sometimes face from their classmates, saying bullying and cruelty sometimes drive young people to suicide.
An alarming rate of suicide is one of the significant issues facing Japan, and Francis again returned to the topic when visiting with the country’s bishops.
Francis urged the country’s bishops to cater to young people in particular since they are the most prone to commit suicide and are “thirsting for compassion.”
“Try to create spaces in which the culture of efficiency, performance and success can become open to a culture of generosity and selfless love, capable of offering to everyone — not only to those who have ‘made it’ — the possibility of a happy and successful life,” he said.
“With their zeal, ideas and energy, young people — when well-formed and accompanied — can be a deep source of hope to their contemporaries and bear vital witness to Christian charity.”
The suicide problem started in Japan in the late 1990s and reached a peak in 2003 when 70 people committed suicide each day.
Although suicide rates have fallen, now the subject of discussion within the country is the issue of secondary school students and also younger primary school students who commit suicide.
Last year in Japan, more than 300 students took their own life.
Government data shows that depression, the pressure of family life and work-life, and bullying are the main causes.
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News category: World.
