Shocking cases of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church over the years highlight that young Christians’ trust should be in God – not in man.

As thousands of young people from around the world descend on Sydney, many will be seeking an encounter not with the Pope, but with Christ.

And in an age where values and beliefs are continually being ridiculed and mocked, surely that is not such a bad thing.

Many of us believe that we are spiritual as well as physical beings.

There is a void that cannot be filled with mere possessions or achievements – we are a little more sophisticated than that.

And the popularity of World Youth Day, first instigated by John Paul II, demonstrates that the hunger and search for meaning that has driven many pilgrims over the centuries is still alive and relevant today.

A German study, conducted by the Bertelsmann Foundation, surveyed 21,000 people across 21 countries and found four out of five young adults considered themselves religious.

Almost half of that 85% considered themselves deeply religious. Only 13% said they had no appreciation for God or faith.

The study also found that while a third of people surveyed said they didn’t belong to any denomination, they still considered themselves to be religious.

Pope Benedict XVI attended his first World Youth Day as pope in 2005 in Cologne when 1.2 million people attended the final mass.

World Youth Day is a time when young people can come together – united by a common faith – and inspired in the belief that they can make the world a better place.

We should not deny them of that hope and optimism because of the failings of a minority in the church.

While it is easy to focus on the sexual abuse – and it should never be overlooked – we should not lose perspective.

The Catholic Church, for all its failings, does a tremendous amount of good in our communities, as do churches from many other denominations.

On the world stage, Catholics are tireless advocates for human rights, for peace and for justice.

Caritas Australia is supporting efforts which bring relief to tens of thousands Burmese.

In education and health, the Catholic Church is the second only to government in its contribution to facilities and services.

The church provides home or special accommodation and professional support services to the homeless, the alcoholic, the drug addicted, refugees, people with disabilities, young offenders and women and their families fleeing domestic violence.

It provides professional counselling to mothers with unplanned pregnancies, families afflicted by drug addiction and people who struggle with job hunting.

Like many churches, it does these things because it is inspired - by the example of sacrificial and unconditional love shown by Jesus Christ.

And surely for those of the Christian faith – that is where the focus should be – not on a man who will inevitably at one time or another fail us.

Failures of priests or ministers, of course, have not been limited to the Catholic church.

Sadly, many people on the Coast no longer attend church because they feel they been let down or hurt by someone within the church – even the minister.

Too often, their dependence and focus has not been on God, but a mere mortal.

In any organisation, there will always be those who abuse their position of trust or simply fail to understand the impact of their words or actions.

Too often we put our church leaders on a pedestal and expect them to be infallible.

The reality often falls far short of that and people get hurt in the process.

Churches, from across denominations, are full of people who have been hurt.

For some, their biggest challenge is putting into practice their belief in forgiveness.

But similarly there are so many who have been helped and found real fulfilment and meaning.

While there are those who fear young people being ‘sucked in’ by the church, there are plenty of youth who find friendship, purpose and new meaning in being part of something that is bigger than they are.

And when you see young people swinging into action with everything from working bees at local schools to overseas trips helping the poor, you know they are practising what they preach better than most of us.

We shouldn’t deny young people their right to experience that, just because of our own prejudices or past hurts.

Nor should churches try to limit youthful expressions of faith to the confines of traditional services.

As World Youth Day demonstrates so well, Christian faith can be expressed through everything from heavy music to Facebook.