VATICAN CITY — A solo traveler, even using Google maps and ChatGPT, cannot safely and happily complete the journey of life or the journey of faith, Pope Leo XIV told thousands of young pilgrims meeting at the Marian shrine in Medjugorje, Bosnia-Herzegovina.
"No algorithm will ever replace a hug, a look, a real encounter -- not with God, not with our friends, not with our family," the pope wrote to people attending the international youth festival known as Mladifest Aug. 4-8.
Pope Leo urged young people to "seek genuine encounters" following the example of Mary, who "undertook a difficult journey to visit her cousin Elizabeth."
The gathering in Medjugorje was the 36th annual youth festival and the first to be held after the Vatican Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith published a notification in September 2024 recognizing the spiritual value of devotions connected to Medjugorje but not ruling on the authenticity of the alleged apparitions there or alleged messages from Mary.
Six young people, aged 10 to 16, said Mary began appearing to them in June 1981. Three of them say they still have apparitions of Mary each day, while the other three have them only on special occasions.
Pope Leo did not mention the apparitions or the Vatican notification in his message, instead focusing on the theme of the gathering, "Let us go to the house of the Lord."
"This phrase speaks to us of a journey, of a desire that moves us toward God, toward the place of his dwelling, where we can truly feel at home, because his love awaits us there," the pope wrote.
"On the road of life, we never walk alone," he told the young people. "Our journey is always intertwined with that of others: we are made for encounter, for walking together and for discovering a shared destination."
Young or old, he said, Christians "are not solitary pilgrims. The path toward the Lord is traveled together. That is the beauty of faith lived in the church."
Traveling to Bosnia-Herzegovina from dozens of countries, the pilgrims also discover that "there is a language stronger than any barrier -- the language of faith, nourished by the love of God."
"You are all members of his body, which is the church," the pope wrote, encouraging the young people to "meet one another, get to know one another, share with one another."
And, he said, "if any of you feels within yourselves the call to a special vocation -- to consecrated life or to the priesthood -- I encourage you not to be afraid to respond. That invitation, which you feel stirring within you, comes from God, who speaks to our hearts. Listen to him with trust: the word of the Lord not only makes us truly free and happy but leads to our fulfillment as people and as Christians."
— Cindy Wooden, Catholic News Service
Don't settle for less; God is waiting to transform your life, pope tells youth
-
Don't settle for less; God is waiting to transform your life, pope tells youth
ROME — The fullness of life depends on how much one joyfully welcomes and shares in life while also living with a constant yearning for those things that only come from God, Pope Leo XIV told young people.
"Aspire to great things, to holiness, wherever you are. Do not settle for less. You will then see the light of the Gospel growing every day, in you and around you," he said in his homily during Mass concluding the Jubilee of Youth Aug. 3.
The outdoor Mass, held in Rome's Tor Vergata neighborhood on the outskirts of the city, marked the culmination of a week-long series of events for the Jubilee of Youth.
More than 1 million people were estimated to be gathered across the 130 acres that had been prepared for the morning Mass, the prayer vigil the evening before, and for the hundreds of thousands of people sleeping overnight.
After touching down by helicopter less than 12 hours after leaving the evening vigil, the pope rode in the popemobile throughout the open areas -- dotted with tents and tarps, and filled with young people, cheering, waving their nation's flag, and sometimes launching at him shirts and gifts.
"Good morning!" he said in six languages from the massive stage set up for the Mass.
"I hope you all rested a little bit," he said in English. "We will shortly begin the greatest celebration that Christ left us: his very presence in the Eucharist."
He said he hoped the concluding Mass would be "a truly memorable occasion for each and every one of us" because "when together, as Christ's church, we follow, we walk together, we live with Jesus Christ."
In his homily during the Mass, the pope again highlighted the importance of the Eucharist, as "the sacrament of the Lord's total gift of himself to us."
It is Christ, the Risen One, he said, "who transforms our lives and enlightens our affections, desires and thoughts."
"We are not made for a life where everything is taken for granted and static, but for an existence that is constantly renewed through the gift of self in love," he said.
Much like a field of flowers, where each small, delicate stem may dry out, become bent and crushed, he said, each flower is "immediately replaced by others that sprout up after them, generously nourished and fertilized by the first ones as they decay on the ground. This is how the field survives: through constant regeneration."
"This is why we continually aspire to something 'more' that no created reality can give us; we feel a deep and burning thirst that no drink in this world can satisfy," he said. "Knowing this, let us not deceive our hearts by trying to satisfy them with cheap imitations!"
Pope Leo urged the young people to listen to that yearning and "turn this thirst into a step stool, like children who stand on tiptoe, in order to peer through the window of encounter with God," who has been "waiting for us, knocking gently on the window of our soul."
"It is truly beautiful, especially at a young age, to open wide your hearts, to allow him to enter, and to set out on this adventure with him towards eternity," he said.
Speaking briefly in English, the pope said, "There is a burning question in our hearts, a need for truth that we cannot ignore, which leads us to ask ourselves: what is true happiness? What is the true meaning of life? What can free us from being trapped in meaninglessness, boredom and mediocrity?"
"Buying, hoarding and consuming are not enough," he said. The fullness of existence "has to do with what we joyfully welcome and share."
"We need to lift our eyes, to look upwards, to the 'things that are above,' to realize that everything in the world has meaning only insofar as it serves to unite us to God and to our brothers and sisters in charity, helping us to grow in 'compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience,' forgiveness and peace, all in imitation of Christ," he said.
Evoking St. John Paul II's words during the XV World Youth Day prayer vigil held in the same spot 25 years ago, Pope Leo reminded the young people that "Jesus is our hope."
"Let us remain united to him, let us remain in his friendship, always, cultivating it through prayer, adoration, Eucharistic communion, frequent confession, and generous charity, following the examples of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati and Blessed Carlo Acutis, who will soon be declared saints," he said.
Wishing everyone "a good trip home," he encouraged the young people to "continue to walk joyfully in the footsteps of the Savior, and spread your enthusiasm and the witness of your faith to everyone you meet!"
— Carol Glatz, Catholic News Service
Pope Leo stands with youth in Gaza, Ukraine, calls for dialogue, not war
-
Pope Leo stands with youth in Gaza, Ukraine, calls for dialogue, not war
VATICAN CITY — In a message of solidarity and peace, Pope Leo XIV said the Catholic Church stands with young people suffering in war-torn areas, including Gaza and Ukraine.
Before praying the Angelus with more than 1 million young people attending the closing Mass of the Jubilee of Youth Aug. 3, the pope said the church was "closer than ever to young people who suffer the most serious evils, which are caused by other human beings."
"We are with the young people of Gaza. We are with the young people of Ukraine, with those of every land bloodied by war," he said in English. "My young brothers and sisters, you are the sign that a different world is possible: a world of fraternity and friendship, where conflicts are not resolved with weapons but with dialogue."
Upon mentioning Gaza, the throngs of young men and women gathered in the field in the Roman neighborhood of Tor Vergata erupted in applause and cheers. International pressure had been continuing to mount against the Israeli government, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which has been accused of purposely starving the population of Gaza.
Pope Leo had expressed concerns over the hunger crisis in Gaza during his Angelus address July 27, acknowledging that the "civilian population is being crushed by hunger and continues to be exposed to violence and death."
In his address before concluding the Mass Aug. 3, the pope also thanked the young people for participating in the week-long Jubilee celebration and once again offered prayers for two pilgrims -- Pascale Rafic and Maria Cobo Vergara -- who passed away during the week.
Before concluding his address, the pope reminded young people that "united with Jesus as the branches to the vine, you will bear much fruit."
"You will be the salt of the earth, light of the world. You will be seeds of hope wherever you live: in your families, with your friends, at school, at work, in sports. Seeds of hope with Christ, our hope," he said.
Pope Leo also renewed the invitation for young people to attend the next World Youth Day in Seoul, South Korea in 2027, and to carry on the message of hope "that lives in our hearts" and "gives us the strength to announce the victory of the risen Christ over evil and death."
"And you, young pilgrims of hope, will be witnesses of this to the ends of the earth," he said. "So, I will see you in Seoul. Let us continue to dream together, to hope together."
— Junno Arocho Esteves, Catholic News Service