Resumen de COVID-19 and religion: Needs and answers from youth in the spanish catholic landscape
Adriana Chiva Polvillo, Silvia Pascual Fontanilles
The Catholic Church faces current needs in terms of youth engagement. These needs are rooted in the challenges and scenarios brought by the 21st century, which have been nothing but aggravated by the current Covid-19 pandemic and its circumstances of uncertainty and complexity. With this situation, religious institutions aim to improve and develop their resources and increase formation towards these initiatives and religion has adapted to the pandemic in innovative ways (Campbell, 2020). This investigation combines the research analyzing these crucial concepts in this specific field. On the one hand, young people represent future generations. For this reason, there is a need to address their concerns and issues by engaging with them, even in times of a global pandemic. Monitoring their interests as well as the youth situation on a global scale is no less than a challenge (World Youth Report, 2020). However, Covid-19 has impacted Catholic youths and they have been more proactive compared to pre-pandemic times. The purpose is then to identify the different practises involving the world of youth in Catholic institutions in Spain in order to better understand this phenomenon. Consequently, the objectives aim at highlighting the current everyday necessities that religious institutions, including religious orders, schools, independent movements and foundations, face in terms of this concept, at the same time that they cultivate a better understanding of their reality, vision, beliefs and room for opportunities. Therefore, from the challenges some proposals emerge with the goal of comprehending their needs and finding answers within the Spanish catholic landscape. How is youth approaching religion after the impact that the pandemic has created? In order to achieve this answer, the research methodology followed a five-step process. Methodologically, we proceeded with a literature review on the topics related to ourstudy. Secondly, we gathered quantitative information in the form of a survey thatasked general questions on the topic. Thirdly, we moved to a qualitative realm as we organized one focus group with those who were involved with the most relevant initiatives. Parallelly and fourthly, we interviewed individually key figures of the already analysed institutions aiming to get a clearer approach to their activities and practises. Finally, we did a netnographic analysis with the compilation of all online initiatives.
