Cardinal warns 'now generation'

In his Easter address at Westminster Cathedral, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor painted a picture of society which lived in the present, expecting everything "almost instantaneously".

But he said many were were facing despair without "hope or meaning" in their lives.

In a homily delivered at the cathedral's Easter Vigil he said: "We live in a world of profound change. I think tonight, today, of the terrible things that happen in the world - of the Middle East's struggle; of Africa and poverty, of violence and cruelty in so many parts of our world.

"I also think of so many in our country who are tempted to despair because they do not find hope or meaning in their lives. We are often called the now generation because we live in a culture that lives in the present. We expect everything almost instantaneously.

"This can bring spontaneity and freshness but what if you live in a state of poverty or if you experience pain or suffering, bereavement or depression? Where is the hope and meaning that lies not only today but in the future?

"Our world so often has no inner meaning or hope to offer the hungry hearts of individuals and nations."

He went on: "All around us - in the media, in the towns and cities of our planet - there are images, symbols and signs, telling us to find meaning and hope in what the world can offer."

Instead he urged worshipers to become "witnesses to hope"

Contrasting the resurrection of Christ, celebrated at Easter, with individual lives he said: "When the resurrection of Jesus occurred an angel came and rolled the stone aside. For each of us, when resurrection happens, a stone is rolled aside from our life. The weight that stops us from living is removed. We can breathe freely again."