Bishop Niall Coll addresses 'crisis of hope' amid global challenges

Bishop Niall Coll has urged people to not despair amid what he has called a ‘crisis of hope’ across the world.

The Bishop of Ossory and Donegal native, Bishop Coll was speaking at a special Mass on Sunday at St Mary’s Cathedral, Kilkenny to launch the Jubilee Year 2025.

“Families today, we need to acknowledge, as we do on the Feast of the Holy Family, have to deal with complex challenges,” Bishop Coll, a native of St Johnston, said.

“You might counsel me to change my friends when I tell you that a good number of them present as anxious even depressed about the world today.

“Political uncertainty around the globe; terrible wars and human suffering in the Holy Land, Ukraine, Lebanon and countless other places; the aftereffects of the pandemic all serve to alarm many.  Here in the West, we see a rise in anxiety and unhappiness among people, especially the young.  

“Some scholars explain this in terms of the pervasive use of social media which is having a profound impact on mental health.  Platforms designed for engagement often lead to social comparison, cyberbullying, and a distorted sense of reality.  This is especially harmful to adolescents, who are in a critical period of identity formation.  And parents and teachers are beginning to recognise the profound challenges that Artificial Intelligence is bringing.

“Add to this the decline in face-to-face interactions: as digital communication replaces in-person interactions, young people are losing crucial opportunities to develop social skills and build meaningful relationships. This isolation fuels feelings of loneliness and unhappiness. 

“I could go on identifying examples of the issues which traumatise so many of us today – but that is unnecessary as the point is made: for many there is a crisis of hope.  For many life lacks meaning, direction and purpose.”

Bishop Coll served as the Parish Priest in Townawilly before being ordained as Bishop of Ossory in January, 2023.

The well-travelled prelate taught at St Eunan’s College in Letterkenny, St Patrick’s Carlow College and in Pobalscoil na Rosann during his time as a curate in Dungloe. He has also worked in Rome and Belfast, including a spell as a professor of religious studies and religious education at St Mary’s University.

He said the Jubilee Year could help people “address these deficiencies by embarking on a spiritual journey which seeks renewed meaning and purpose in life”.

He said: “In his papal bull read at the beginning of this liturgy, Pope Francis emphasises that hope is not merely a fleeting sentiment but a steadfast anchor for our souls.  He writes: ‘May the Jubilee be a moment of genuine, personal encounter with the Lord Jesus, the ‘door’ of our salvation, whom the Church is charged to proclaim always, everywhere, and to all as ‘our hope’.

“This call reminds us that in a world often overshadowed by despair and uncertainty, our faith in Christ illuminates our path, guiding us through life’s challenges.

“The Holy Father’s decision to open a Holy Door within a Roman prison (Rebibbia Prison Complex) on Saint Stephen’s Day serves as a powerful testament to the boundless nature of God’s mercy.  It is a call for all, regardless of circumstance, to look to the future with hope and renewed confidence.

“The opening of the Holy Door at Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome on Christmas Eve – a truly iconic act, well reported online and in the news – marked the start of this Jubilee Year 2025.  This sacred act symbolises Christ as the gateway to salvation and invites us to enter into a deeper relationship with Him.

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“Truly, we are invited to a deeper sense of our baptismal calling to be His disciples, His followers, His witnesses in the world of everyday life.  Pope Francis extends this invitation globally asking every diocese to celebrate in the manner we are now doing so here in Ossory, so as to make the journey of hope accessible to all Catholics, other Christians and people of goodwill.”