Pope Francis tells youth in Rome to be true to themselves

By Linda Bordoni

Pope Francis visited a parish on the outskirts of Rome on Friday afternoon to meet a group of boys and girls who are preparing to celebrate the 2025 Jubilee.

The Press Office of the Holy See published a statement from the Dicastery for Evangelization on Friday afternoon according to which the meeting took place within the framework of the “School of Prayer” initiative, which prepares young Catholics for jubilee year.

The Holy Father, accompanied by the pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, Mgr. Rino Fisichella, left the Vatican around 4 p.m. and went to the parish of Saint Bernadette Soubirous, in the eastern suburbs from the city.

The visit was part of the “Year of Prayer” initiative, and during the meeting, the Pope answered questions asked by young people about their lives of faith and prayer.

This meeting follows his meeting on April 11 with 200 children preparing for the first communion at the Roman parish of Saint Jean-Marie Vianney.

A surprise visit

The press release reveals that the Pope's arrival to the parish community was a “surprise” and that he was warmly welcomed by the young people gathered for the weekly meeting.

The group included catechists, youth group leaders and scouts, who interacted with him and asked him several questions.

Titian, for example, asked the Pope how to discern his vocation.

“Each of us must ask ourselves this question,” replied Pope Francis, “because the Lord has a plan for each of us. Everyone must try to understand what the Lord expects of us and ask him. Thus, he then shared his experience as a young man who had started working as soon as he entered the seminary: “Ask the Lord in prayer: what do you want from me?

Friendship

The Pope also stressed the importance for young people never to walk alone and to cultivate friendship.

“Sometimes we can get lost in the mazes of life. The main thing to get out of a dark moment is not to walk alone, because alone you lose direction. It is important to talk about your situation,” Pope Francis said.

To move!

To a young person who confessed not to believe in God, the Pope stressed the importance of undertaking a journey: “No one is condemned if he does not believe. It's important to be moving. If I see a young person who doesn't move, who stays there in life, who doesn't like to move, it's sad. But if I see a young person who falls into apathy and then moves on to something else, hats off. Move for an ideal!

Giving life is a message of hope

In a conversation with a young married couple, he expressed his concern about the declining birth rate in Italy and the importance of giving life, which, he said, “is always a message of great hope “.

Finally, he declared that for the Church to be credible, “it must strip itself of all worldliness.” “The values ​​of the Church,” he added, “are those of the Gospel and not those of a society that calls itself Catholic.”

Before concluding, Pope Francis thanked everyone present and gave everyone a copy of the Bull of Indiction of the Jubilee, in the new edition with the introduction of Pro-Prefect Mgr Rino Fisichella.

Be authentic !

“Thank you for your testimonies, I am very happy with your authenticity, continue like this, be faithful to yourselves, always seeking the path of life”, concluded the Pope: “One piece of advice: take risks for life, with high ideals.