Joyful acclamations at Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem, followed by his humiliation. Festive cries followed by brutal torture. This twofold mystery accompanies our entrance into Holy Week each year, as reflected in the two characteristic moments of today’s celebration: the initial procession with palm branches and the solemn reading of the Passion.

Let us enter into this movement, guided by the Holy Spirit, and thus obtain the grace we sought in our opening prayer: to follow in faith our Saviour’s example of humility, to heed his lesson of patient suffering, and thus to merit a share in his victory over the spirit of evil.

Jesus shows us how to face moments of difficulty and the most insidious of temptations by preserving in our hearts a peace that is neither detachment nor superhuman impassivity, but confident abandonment to the Father and to his saving will, which bestows life and mercy. He shows us this kind of abandonment by spurning, at every point in his earthly ministry, the temptation to do things his way and not in complete obedience to the Father. From the experience of his forty days in the desert to the culmination of his Passion, Jesus rejects this temptation by his obedient trust in the Father.

Today, too, by his entrance into Jerusalem, he shows us the way. For in that event, the evil one, the prince of this world, had a card up his sleeve: the card of triumphalism. Yet the Lord responded by holding fast to his own way, the way of humility.

Triumphalism tries to make it to the goal by shortcuts and false compromises. It wants to jump onto the carriage of the winner. It lives off gestures and words that are not forged in the crucible of the cross; it grows by looking askance at others and constantly judging them inferior, wanting, failures... One subtle form of triumphalism is spiritual worldliness, which represents the greatest danger, the most treacherous temptation threatening the Church (De Lubac). Jesus destroyed triumphalism by his Passion.

The Lord truly rejoiced with the people, with those young people who shouted out his name and acclaimed him as King and Messiah. His heart was gladdened to see the enthusiasm and excitement of the poor of Israel. So much so, that, to those Pharisees who asked him to rebuke his disciples for their scandalous acclamations, he replied: “If these were silent, the very stones would cry out” (Lk 19:40). Humility does not mean denying reality: Jesus really is the Messiah, the King.

Yet at the same time the heart of Jesus was moving on another track, on the sacred path known to him and the Father alone: the path that leads from “the form of God” to “the form of a servant”, the path of self-abasement born of obedience “unto death, even death on a cross” (Phil 2:6-8). He knows that true triumph involves making room for God and that the only way to do that is by stripping oneself, by self-emptying. To remain silent, to pray, to accept humiliation. There is no negotiating with the cross: one either embraces it or rejects it. By his self-abasement, Jesus wanted to open up to us the path of faith and to precede us on that path.

The first to follow him on that path was his mother, Mary, the first disciple. The Blessed Virgin and the saints had to suffer in walking the path of faith and obedience to God’s will. Responding with faith to the harsh and painful events of life entails “a particular heaviness of heart (cf. Redemptoris Mater, 17). The night of faith. Yet only from that night do we see the dawn of the resurrection break forth. At the foot of the cross, Mary thought once more of the words that the angel had spoken about her Son: “He will be great… The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end” (Lk 1:32-33). On Golgotha, Mary faced the complete denial of that promise: her Son was dying on a cross like a criminal. In this way, triumphalism, destroyed by the abasement of Jesus, was likewise destroyed in the heart of his Mother. Both kept silent.

In the footsteps of Mary, countless holy men and women have followed Jesus on the path of humility and obedience. Today, World Youth Day, I would like to mention all those young saints, especially the saints “next door” to us, known only to God; sometimes he likes to surprise us with them. Dear young people, do not be ashamed to show your enthusiasm for Jesus, to shout out that he is alive and that he is your life. Yet at the same time, do not be afraid to follow him on the way of the cross. When you hear that he is asking you to renounce yourselves, to let yourselves be stripped of every security, and to entrust yourselves completely to our Father in heaven, then rejoice and exult! You are on the path of the kingdom of God.

Festive acclamations and brutal torture; the silence of Jesus throughout his Passion is profoundly impressive. He also overcomes the temptation to answer back, to act like a “superstar”. In moments of darkness and great tribulation, we need to keep silent, to find the courage not to speak, as long as our silence is meek and not full of anger. The meekness of silence will make us appear even weaker, more humble. Then the devil will take courage and come out into the open. We need to resist him in silence, “holding our position”, but with the same attitude as Jesus. He knows that the battle is between God and the prince of this world, and that what is important is not putting our hand to the sword but remaining firm in faith. It is God’s hour. At the hour that God comes forth to fight, we have to let him take over. Our place of safety will be beneath the mantle of the holy Mother of God. As we wait for the Lord to come and calm the storm (cf. Mt 4:37-41), by our silent witness in prayer we give ourselves and others “an accounting for the hope that is within [us]” (1 Pet 3:15). This will help us to live in the sacred tension between the memory of the promises made, the suffering present in the cross, and the hope of the resurrection.

[Pope Francis, Palm Sunday homily, XXXIV WYD 14 April 2019]

(Jn 11:45-56)

Christ is all that the Jewish feasts had promised and proclaimed.

They deciphered authoritatively, but unconsciously [vv.47-52 take pleasure in double entendre words].

In fact, the high priest spoke in the name of God: he interpreted the situation in a divinely inspired way.

In Christ the people was setting out to fulfill the promise made to Abraham: the era of the dispersion of women and men was ending.

The Cross would have fulfilled the vocation of the Temple: recomposition of the people and unity of the human being from the arid and distant land, in sharing and gratuitousness.

But what could were being the starting point (energetic) also for Jesus, not to withdraw into the limits of his own environment down to the details, and activate a path of rebirth?

The community of Bethany [«house of the poor»] is an image of the first realities of Faith, destitute and composed only of brothers and sisters.

Person-friendly. Where people “looked” at each other, and those bonds that prevented them from going beyond the already known could be dissolved.

Nest of healthy relationships, which was also able to make sense of wounds.

«House of the poor» is the only place where Jesus was at ease, that is, the only reality in which we can still recognize Him alive and present ‘in the midst’ - available, equidistant. Source of life for the modest and needy.

In the passage from the Gospel, the comparison with the vulgar cunning of the authorities and the out-of-scale dimension of the places and festivals is strident.

As if there no sap flowed between the Holiness of God and the real life of the discharged people.

Although the Master did good - as in all regimes, there was no shortage of delators (v.46).

On the other hand, a large part of the inhabitants of Jerusalem found their material sustenance in the induced of the Temple activities.

Top ones in the class could never have been persuaded to follow a stranger who intended to supplant the official institution and privileged positions, with an unadorned utopia.

The throne of the princes of the fraternal House was conversely without ‘cushions’, and the community co-ordinator a woman: Martha [«lady»]. Leader in reverse, servant.

In such guise, Bethany gave hints of new life, because of its very composition, and ‘intimate spirit’.

Hearth free of standards and roles of primacy.

Reality devoid of struggles, defences, positions, vested interests: all tensions to 'fix' things which still mark us downwards, towards sloppiness.

Under Domitian these small alternative realities - caring for the small and distant - had to live like Jesus: clandestine.

They paid for unity, with the cross. But they renewed the life of the empire.

[Saturday 5th wk. in Lent, April 12, 2025]

"I have other sheep that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will heed my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd" (Jn 10: 16).

John repeated the same thing after the Sanhedrin had decided to kill Jesus, when Caiaphas said that it would be better for the people that one man die for them rather than the entire nation perish. John recognized these words of Caiaphas as prophetic, adding:  "Jesus should die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad" (11: 52).

The relationship between the Cross and unity is revealed:  the Cross is the price of unity. Above all, however, it is the universal horizon of Jesus' action that emerges.

If, in his prophecy about the shepherd, Ezekiel was aiming to restore unity among the dispersed tribes of Israel (cf. Ez 34: 22-24), here it is a question not only of the unification of a dispersed Israel but of the unification of all the children of God, of humanity - of the Church of Jews and of pagans.

Jesus' mission concerns all humanity. Therefore, the Church is given responsibility for all humanity, so that it may recognize God, the God who for all of us was made man in Jesus Christ, suffered, died and was raised.

The Church must never be satisfied with the ranks of those whom she has reached at a certain point or say that others are fine as they are:  Muslims, Hindus and so forth. The Church can never retreat comfortably to within the limits of her own environment. She is charged with universal solicitude; she must be concerned with and for one and all.

[Pope Benedict, homily 7 May 2006]

1. We profess our faith in the central truth of the messianic mission of Jesus Christ: he is the redeemer of the world through his death on the cross. We profess it in the words of the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed, according to which Jesus 'was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, died and was buried'. In professing this faith, we also commemorate Christ's death as a historical event, which, like his life, is known to us from reliable and authoritative historical sources. Based on these same sources we can and will also know and understand the historical circumstances of that death, which we believe was "the price" of man's redemption for all time.

2. And first of all: how did the death of Jesus of Nazareth come about? How do we explain the fact that he was put to death by the representatives of his nation, who handed him over to the Roman 'procurator', whose name, transmitted from the Gospels, also appears in the Symbols of Faith? For now, let us try to gather the circumstances, which 'humanly' explain the death of Jesus. The evangelist Mark, describing Jesus' trial before Pontius Pilate, notes that he had been 'delivered up for envy' and that Pilate was aware of this fact: 'He knew . . . that the high priests had delivered him up for envy' (Mk 15:10). Let us ask ourselves: why this envy? We can find its roots in resentment not only for what Jesus taught, but for the way he did it. If, according to Mark, he taught "as one having authority, and not as the scribes" (Mk 1:22), this circumstance must have shown him in the eyes of the latter as a "threat" to their own prestige.

3. In fact, we know that already the beginning of Jesus' teaching in his hometown leads to conflict. The thirty-year-old Nazarene, in fact, when speaking in the synagogue, points to himself as the one on whom the announcement of the Messiah, pronounced by Isaiah, is fulfilled. This provokes astonishment and later indignation in the hearers, so that they want to throw him down from the mountain 'on which their city was situated' . . . "but he passed by among them and went away" (Lk 4:29-30).

4. This incident is only the beginning: it is the first sign of subsequent hostilities. Let us recall the main ones. When Jesus makes it clear that he has the power to forgive sins, the scribes see this as blasphemy, because only God has such power (cf. Mk 2:6). When he performs the miracles on the Sabbath, asserting that "the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath" (Mt 12:8), the reaction is similar to the previous one. And it is already then that the intention to kill Jesus transpires (cf. Mk 3:6): "They sought . . . to kill him: because he not only violated the Sabbath, but called God his Father, making himself equal with God" (Jn 5:18). What else could the words "Verily, verily, I say unto you, before Abraham was I Am" mean? (Jn 8:58). The listeners knew what that designation meant: "I Am". So again Jesus runs the risk of stoning. This time, however, he ". . . he hid himself and went out of the temple" (Jn 8:59).

5. The event that ultimately precipitated the situation and led to the decision to let Jesus die was the resurrection of Lazarus in Bethany. The Gospel of John lets us know that at the next meeting of the Sanhedrin it was noted: 'This man performs many signs. If we let him do this, everyone will believe in him and the Romans will come and destroy our holy place and our nation". Faced with these predictions and fears Caiaphas, the high priest, pronounced this sentence: 'Better that one man should die for the people and not the whole nation perish' (Jn 11:47-50). The evangelist adds: 'This, however, he did not say for himself, but being high priest he prophesied that Jesus should die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but also to gather together the children of God who were scattered'. And he concludes: "From that day therefore they decided to kill him" (John 11: 51-53).

John lets us know in this way a twofold aspect of Caiaphas' stance. From a human point of view, which more accurately could be said to be opportunistic, it was an attempt to justify the decision to eliminate a man deemed politically dangerous, without worrying about his innocence. From a higher point of view, made his own and noted by the evangelist, Caiaphas' words, regardless of his intentions, had an authentically prophetic content, concerning the mystery of Christ's death according to God's saving plan.

6. Here we consider the human unfolding of events. At that meeting of the Sanhedrin, the decision was made to kill Jesus of Nazareth. They took advantage of his presence in Jerusalem during the Passover festivities.Judas, one of the twelve, betrayed Jesus for thirty silver coins, pointing to the place where he could be arrested. Once taken, Jesus was brought before the sanhedrin. To the high priest's essential question: "I beseech thee by the living God, that he may tell us whether thou art the Christ, the Son of God", Jesus gave the great answer: "Thou hast said it" (Matt 26:63-64; cf. Mk 14:62; Lk 22:70). In this declaration the Sanhedrin saw blatant blasphemy, and ruled that Jesus was "guilty of death!" (Mk 14:64).

7. However, the sanhedrin could not carry out the sentence without the consent of the Roman procurator. And Pilate is personally convinced that Jesus is innocent, and he makes this clear several times. After uncertainly resisting the pressure of the Sanhedrin, he finally relents for fear of risking Caesar's disapproval, all the more so since the crowd, stirred up by the proponents of Jesus' elimination, now also demands his crucifixion. "Crucifige eum!" And so Jesus is condemned to death by crucifixion.

8. Historically responsible for this death are the men indicated in the Gospels, at least in part, by name. Jesus himself declares this when he says to Pilate during the trial: "He who delivered me into your hands has a greater guilt" (John 19:11). And in another passage; "The Son of Man goes, as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! Better for that man if he had never been born!" (Mk 14:21; Mt 26:24; Lk 22:22). Jesus alludes to the various people who, in different ways, will be the architects of his death: to Judas, to the representatives of the Sanhedrin, to Pilate, to others . . . Even Simon Peter, in his speech after Pentecost, disputes the killing of Jesus to the leaders of the Sanhedrin: "You nailed him to the cross by the hands of ungodly men and killed him" (Acts 2:23).

9. However, one cannot extend this imputation beyond the circle of the truly responsible persons. We read in a document of the Second Vatican Council: 'If Jewish authorities with their followers worked for the death of Christ, nevertheless what was committed during his passion cannot be imputed either indiscriminately to all the Jews then living, or (even less) to the Jews of our time' (Nostra Aetate, 4).

When it comes to assessing the responsibility of consciences, we cannot forget Christ's words on the cross: "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" (Lk 23:34). We find an echo of those words in another speech by Peter after Pentecost: "Now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders" (Acts 3:17). What a sense of reserve before the mystery of the human conscience, even in the case of the greatest crime committed in history, the killing of Christ!

10. Following the example of Jesus and Peter, even though it is difficult to deny the responsibility of those men who deliberately caused Christ's death, we too will look at things in the light of God's eternal plan, which required his beloved Son to offer himself as a victim for the sins of all men. In this higher perspective we realise that we are all, by reason of our sins, responsible for Christ's death on the cross: all, insofar as through sin we have contributed to Christ dying for us as a victim of atonement. Jesus' words can also be understood in this sense: "The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him, but on the third day he will rise" (Matthew 17: 22).

11. The cross of Christ is thus for all a realistic reminder of the fact expressed by the Apostle John in the words: "The blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we are without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us" (1 John 1: 7-8). The cross of Christ does not cease to be for each of us this merciful and at the same time severe call to acknowledge and confess our guilt. It is a call to live in truth.

[Pope John Paul II, General Audience 28 September 1988]

In his homily, the Holy Father offered a brief reflection on the liturgical readings of the day and, in particular, on the passage from the Gospel of John (11:45-56) where we read the words of the high priest Caiaphas to the chief priests and Pharisees gathered in the sanhedrin and the comment of the evangelist: "Jesus had to die for the nation, and not only for the nation, but also to gather together the children of God who were scattered. Jesus died for his people and he died for everyone. But this - noted the Pope - is not to be understood in the sense of globality: it means that Jesus died for each man individually. Every Christian must therefore say: 'Christ died for me'.

This is the highest expression of Jesus' love for every man. And from the awareness of this love,' Pope Francis emphasised, 'a thank you should arise. A thank you so profound and passionate that it could even turn into tears of joy on the face of every believer.

[Pope Francis, St Marta homily, in L'Osservatore Romano 24/03/2013]

(Jn 10:31-42)

The intent of the fourth Gospel is not the particular one to convert Jews, rather to strengthen the Faith in the Person of the Consecrated of the Lord who proclaimed himself «Son».

The Appeal is to the churches of Asia Minor. And in Jn the term «Jews» indicates not the people, but the spiritual guides.

Before them, a "blasphemous" Jesus claims mutual immanence with the Father, and dares to expand (for us) the boundaries of the Mystery that envelops and fills him.

But the divine condition which manifests itself in human fullness is rejected by religious leaders. This in the name of adhering to the Eternal, imagined as distant and ancient.

Psalm 82 reads: «I said: You are gods, you are all sons of the Most High».

The poetic reference of the hymn is to the Israel’s chiefs and judges, but Jesus [who loved to call himself «Son of man»] extends it to those ‘sent by the Father’, to those who welcome his Word - outside the élite.

If divinity can be attributed to God's “agents” not just leaders, more can be attributed to the very Word of God - and sons who proclaim it, all worthy of eminent confidence.

According to Jesus, the Eternal is not revealed by cerebral reasoning and arguments, nor by doctrines, oral and written codes, or disciplines, but by the indestructible quality of the «beautiful» works (vv.32-33) which are «from the Father» (v.32).

The Greek term indicates the sense of fullness and wonder - truth, goodness, charm, amazement - that emanates from the only ‘action’ required in any prominent or minute «work»: love that revives the needy.

And Scripture recognizes in each of us this sacred spark, which gives all events and emotions the step of Vertigo: dizziness that overcomes the surrounding things [or the “how they should be” done].

Of course, to support us we need a Face, a relationship, and a close kinship story to identify what moves us, to scrutinize within what appears or is aroused.

The Unity of natures - He in us and we with the Father - corresponds to us in the Face of Christ.

No pile of stones (v.31) will be able to bury the divine longing and the testimony of those who come «from» Him.

Even if someone killed the “sons”, their «many and splendid works» (v.32) would speak.

Some - interested - try to immobilize the Word that acts in us: the Logos participant of Communion, source of Light and Life.

The detractors still rely on the hostile atmosphere of crude and vain mannered [ancient or fashionable] religiosity...

Well, intimate sons will find a welcome elsewhere, in foreign territory «beyond the Jordan» (v.40).

Everything that happens, even the persecutions and attempts at murder due to misunderstanding or envy [spiritual too] can be looked at from another perspective: of inclusive Faith that reconnect us to the Roots.

They are events, external happenings that activate overall energies: they become cosmic outside and acutely divine in us.

More than dangers and nuisances, they trace a destiny of Exodus - like a river that carries, but which in Christ makes us escape from the hands of a deadly stasis (v. 39), and admirably re-tunes on the forces that guide us to the suburbs - where we must go.

It’s divine Presence, out of the ordinary Action. Infallible Guide of the inner world - which places us back on mission and in search of the most sacred freedom.

[Friday 5th wk. in Lent, April 11, 2025]

(Jn 10:31-42)

"We stone thee not for a splendid work, but for blasphemy, and because thou art man, thou makest thyself God" (v.33).

The theological background of the passage is the Feast of Dedication, during which, among other things, the passage from Ez 34 was read, which presents the Eternal as "the" authentic and true Shepherd.

The intent of the Fourth Gospel is not particularly to convert Jews, but rather to strengthen Faith in the Person of the Lord's Anointed One who proclaimed Himself "Son".

The reference is to the Johannine churches of Asia Minor. And in Jn the term "Jews" indicates not the people, but the spiritual leaders.

In their presence a "blasphemous" Jesus claims mutual immanence with the Father, and dares to expand to us the boundaries of the Mystery that envelops and fills him.

It seemed a sacrilege - especially for those involved in the official institution.

The divine condition manifested in human fullness is rejected by the religious leaders. This is in the name of adherence to the Eternal, imagined distant and ancient.

[In the cases "within" the first assemblies - of veterans who had already gained positions of prominence - he sees them wavering].

Having to watch over the orthodoxy of doctrine is always a pretext to diminish any beginner, or shaky person - and his or her franchise, which would exclude a structure of 'mediation', first and foremost its summits.

Nothing exceptional, but frightening to those installed.

Psalm 82 reads: 'I said: You are gods, you are all sons of the Most High'.

The hymn's poetic reference is to the leaders and judges of Israel, but Jesus, who liked to call himself "Son of Man", extends it - outside the elite - to the Father's envoys, to those who welcome his Word.

If in some way divinity can be ascribed to God's agents (not just leaders) all the more so can it be ascribed to the Word of God itself - and to the children who bear it, all worthy of eminent confidence.

The counterpoint between 'works' of condemnation and of life alone is a figure of the transition from common religiosity to the life of personal faith.

It emphasises the character of those who represent the Father and deliver the divine, exclusively good and liberating Work.

The authorities reject the Son in the name of the Most High, and loyalty to the traditional idea. Thought anchored in the irreducible image of the victorious King, from which a certain type of competitive society, ruthless even in the spiritual life - already on the way to extinction - springs.

According to Jesus, the Eternal is not revealed by cerebral reasoning and arguments, nor by doctrines, oral and written codes, or disciplines, but by the indestructible quality of the 'good' works (vv.32-33) that are 'from the Father' (v.32).

The Greek term stands for the sense of fullness and wonder - truth, goodness, fascination, amazement - that emanates from the one 'action' required in any major or minor 'work': the love that resurrects the needy.

And Scripture recognises in each of us this sacred spark, which gives all happenings and emotions the step of Vertigo: dizziness that overcomes the surrounding things [or the "how they should be" done].

Certainly, to support us, we need a Face, a relationship and close kinship to identify what moves us, to peer into what appears or is aroused.

The Unity of natures - He in us and we with the Father - corresponds to us in the Face of Christ.

This reciprocity is made manifest in listening, welcoming, not rushing to condemn - rather, making the 'loss' full (and unbelievable). And strengthens the weak.

The symbiosis with God in our activities, with our way of proposing or reacting, throughout our lives, unfolds in each child his Resemblance, even in difficult circumstances.

It will not be the language of the 'letter', but the living and loyal sense of truth-disalienation, which reveals the loving mystery of the intimate life of the Almighty.

No heap of stones (v.31) will be able to bury the divine yearning and testimony of those who come "from" Him.

Even if someone were to kill the children, their 'many and splendid works' would speak (v.32).

Some - interested - try to immobilise the Word that acts in us: the Logos participating in Communion, the source of Light and Life.

The detractors still rely on the hostile atmosphere of crude religiosity, of the vain sacred centre, of the eternal city... Well, the intimate children will find a welcome elsewhere, in foreign territory "beyond the Jordan" (v.40).

Everything that happens, even persecutions and assassination attempts due to misunderstanding or [even spiritual] envy, everything can be looked at from another perspective.

These are events, external happenings that activate overall energies: they become cosmic outside and acutely divine within us.

More than dangers and annoyances, they trace an Exodus destiny - like a river that carries, but in Christ escapes us from the hands of a deadly stasis (v.39), and admirably resonates with the forces that lead to the peripheries - where we must go.

It is as divine Presence and Action out of the ordinary, the infallible Guide of the inner world - which sets one back on mission and in search of the most sacred freedom.

We need another point of view, one that orients in a much richer way, and in relation to the tide that comes in - to grasp the hidden teaching.

The soul does not err, and what circumstances bring can always be made functional.

Such a view of inclusive Faith brings us closer to the Source of being, and of the particular essence; it brings us closer to the Roots that live within and in the nature of things.

Often the self is absorbed by the outer world or memories; even by false teachings.

But the Source of being in the cosmic powers and the inner self act beyond - they take us elsewhere from the usual proposals, reactions and interventions [of others and under conditions].

However well known, wonderful and glittering, the stories of the past must remain in the past.

Both desires and discomforts will guide us far.

We are not usurpers of celestial glory, but incessant restorers of the value of dignity, promotion, Friendship: the most dazzling and humanising of divine Works.

Says the Tao Tê Ching (LIX): "He who possesses the mother of the kingdom can endure long. This is called sinking the roots and strengthening the trunk, Way of long life and eternal youth'.

Master Ho-Shang Kung comments on this passage: 'The kingdom and the person are similar, the mother is the Way'.

To internalise and live the message:

Why does Jesus speak with detachment of 'your law' precisely when addressing the most renowned spiritual teachers?

What Image of God dwells in you? Is it radical, beautiful of love, of Exodus and newness, or of travails?

The Gospel [...] proposes a twofold commandment of faith: to believe in God and to believe in Jesus. In fact, the Lord said to his disciples: “Believe in God, believe also in me” (Jn 14:1). They are not two separate acts but one single act of faith, full adherence to salvation wrought by God the Father through his Only-begotten Son.

The New Testament puts an end to the Father's invisibility. God has shown his face, as Jesus’ answer to the Apostle Philip confirms: “He who has seen me has seen the Father” (Jn 14:9). With his Incarnation, death and Resurrection, the Son of God has freed us from the slavery of sin to give us the freedom of the children of God and he has shown us the face of God, which is love: God can be seen, he is visible in Christ.

St Teresa of Avila wrote: “the last thing we should do is to withdraw from our greatest good and blessing, which is the most sacred humanity of Our Lord Jesus Christ” (cf. The Interior Castle, 6, ch. 7). Therefore, only by believing in Christ, by remaining united to him, may the disciples, among whom we too are, continue their permanent action in history: “Truly, truly, I say to you,” says the Lord, “he who believes in me will also do the works that I do” (Jn 14:12).

Faith in Jesus entails following him daily, in the simple actions that make up our day. “It is part of the mystery of God that he acts so gently, that he only gradually builds up his history within the great history of mankind; that he becomes man and so can be overlooked by his contemporaries and by the decisive forces within history; that he suffers and dies and that, having risen again, he chooses to come to mankind only through the faith of the disciples to whom he reveals himself; that he continues to knock gently at the doors of our hearts and slowly opens our eyes if we open our doors to him” (Jesus of Nazareth II, 2011, p. 276).

St Augustine says that “it was necessary for Jesus to say: ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life’ (Jn 14:6) because once the way was known, the end remained to be known” (cf. In Evangelium Iohannis Tractatus, 69, 2: CCL 36, 500), and the end is the Father. For Christians, for each one of us, hence, the way to the Father is to allow ourselves to be guided by Jesus, by his word of truth, and to receive the gift of his life. Let us make St Bonaventure’s invitation our own: “Open, therefore, your eyes, lend your spiritual ear, open your lips and dispose your heart, so that you will be able to see, hear, praise, love, venerate, glorify, honour your God in all creatures” (Itinerarium mentis in Deum, i, 15).

[Pope Benedict, Angelus 22 May 2011]

Dear Young People!

1. I have vivid memories of the wonderful moments we shared in Rome during the Jubilee of the Year 2000, when you came on pilgrimage to the Tombs of the Apostles Peter and Paul. In long silent lines you passed through the Holy Door and prepared to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation; then the Evening Vigil and Morning Mass at Tor Vergata were moments of intense spirituality and a deep experience of the Church; with renewed faith, you went home to undertake the mission I entrusted to you: to become, at the dawn of the new millennium, fearless witnesses to the Gospel.

By now World Youth Day has become an important part of your life and of the life of the Church. I invite you therefore to get ready for the seventeenth celebration of this great international event, to be held in Toronto, Canada, in the summer of next year. It will be another chance to meet Christ, to bear witness to his presence in today’s society, and to become builders of the "civilization of love and truth".

2. "You are the salt of the earth... You are the light of the world" (Mt 5:13-14): this is the theme I have chosen for the next World Youth Day. The images of salt and light used by Jesus are rich in meaning and complement each other. In ancient times, salt and light were seen as essential elements of life.

"You are the salt of the earth...". One of the main functions of salt is to season food, to give it taste and flavour. This image reminds us that, through Baptism, our whole being has been profoundly changed, because it has been "seasoned" with the new life which comes from Christ (cf. Rom 6:4). The salt which keeps our Christian identity intact even in a very secularized world is the grace of Baptism. Through Baptism we are re-born. We begin to live in Christ and become capable of responding to his call to "offer [our] bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God" (Rom 12:1). Writing to the Christians of Rome, Saint Paul urges them to show clearly that their way of living and thinking was different from that of their contemporaries: "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect" (Rom 12:2).

For a long time, salt was also used to preserve food. As the salt of the earth, you are called to preserve the faith which you have received and to pass it on intact to others. Your generation is being challenged in a special way to keep safe the deposit of faith (cf. 2 Th 2:15; 1 Tim 6:20; 2 Tim 1:14).

Discover your Christian roots, learn about the Church’s history, deepen your knowledge of the spiritual heritage which has been passed on to you, follow in the footsteps of the witnesses and teachers who have gone before you! Only by staying faithful to God’s commandments, to the Covenant which Christ sealed with his blood poured out on the Cross, will you be the apostles and witnesses of the new millennium.

It is the nature of human beings, and especially youth, to seek the Absolute, the meaning and fullness of life. Dear young people, do not be content with anything less than the highest ideals! Do not let yourselves be dispirited by those who are disillusioned with life and have grown deaf to the deepest and most authentic desires of their heart. You are right to be disappointed with hollow entertainment and passing fads, and with aiming at too little in life. If you have an ardent desire for the Lord you will steer clear of the mediocrity and conformism so widespread in our society.

3. "You are the light of the world...". For those who first heard Jesus, as for us, the symbol of light evokes the desire for truth and the thirst for the fullness of knowledge which are imprinted deep within every human being.

When the light fades or vanishes altogether, we no longer see things as they really are. In the heart of the night we can feel frightened and insecure, and we impatiently await the coming of the light of dawn. Dear young people, it is up to you to be the watchmen of the morning (cf. Is 21:11-12) who announce the coming of the sun who is the Risen Christ!

The light which Jesus speaks of in the Gospel is the light of faith, God’s free gift, which enlightens the heart and clarifies the mind. "It is the God who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness’, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God on the face of Christ" (2 Cor 4:6). That is why the words of Jesus explaining his identity and his mission are so important: "I am the light of the world; whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life" (Jn 8:12).

Our personal encounter with Christ bathes life in new light, sets us on the right path, and sends us out to be his witnesses. This new way of looking at the world and at people, which comes to us from him, leads us more deeply into the mystery of faith, which is not just a collection of theoretical assertions to be accepted and approved by the mind, but an experience to be had, a truth to be lived, the salt and light of all reality (cf. Veritatis Splendor, 88).

In this secularized age, when many of our contemporaries think and act as if God did not exist or are attracted to irrational forms of religion, it is you, dear young people, who must show that faith is a personal decision which involves your whole life. Let the Gospel be the measure and guide of life’s decisions and plans! Then you will be missionaries in all that you do and say, and wherever you work and live you will be signs of God’s love, credible witnesses to the loving presence of Jesus Christ. Never forget: "No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a bushel" (Mt 5:15)!

Just as salt gives flavour to food and light illumines the darkness, so too holiness gives full meaning to life and makes it reflect God’s glory. How many saints, especially young saints, can we count in the Church’s history! In their love for God their heroic virtues shone before the world, and so they became models of life which the Church has held up for imitation by all. Let us remember only a few of them: Agnes of Rome, Andrew of Phú Yên, Pedro Calungsod, Josephine Bakhita, Thérèse of Lisieux, Pier Giorgio Frassati, Marcel Callo, Francisco Castelló Aleu or again Kateri Tekakwitha, the young Iroquois called "the Lily of the Mohawks". Through the intercession of this great host of witnesses, may God make you too, dear young people, the saints of the third millennium!

4. Dear friends, it is time to get ready for the Seventeenth World Youth Day. I invite you to read and study the Apostolic Letter Novo Millennio Ineunte, which I wrote at the beginning of the year to accompany all Christians on this new stage of the life of the Church and humanity: "A new century, a new millennium are opening in the light of Christ. But not everyone can see this light. Ours is the wonderful and demanding task of becoming its ‘reflection’" (No. 54).

Yes, now is the time for mission! In your Dioceses and parishes, in your movements, associations and communities, Christ is calling you. The Church welcomes you and wishes to be your home and your school of communion and prayer. Study the Word of God and let it enlighten your minds and hearts. Draw strength from the sacramental grace of Reconciliation and the Eucharist. Visit the Lord in that "heart to heart" contact that is Eucharistic Adoration. Day after day, you will receive new energy to help you to bring comfort to the suffering and peace to the world. Many people are wounded by life: they are excluded from economic progress, and are without a home, a family, a job; there are people who are lost in a world of false illusions, or have abandoned all hope. By contemplating the light radiant on the face of the Risen Christ, you will learn to live as "children of the light and children of the day" (1 Th 5:5), and in this way you will show that "the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true" (Eph 5:9).

5. Dear young friends, Toronto is waiting for all of you who can make it! In the heart of a multi-cultural and multi-faith city, we shall speak of Christ as the one Saviour and proclaim the universal salvation of which the Church is the sacrament. In response to the pressing invitation of the Lord who ardently desires "that all may be one" (Jn 17:11), we shall pray for full communion among Christians in truth and charity.

Come, and make the great avenues of Toronto resound with the joyful tidings that Christ loves every person and brings to fulfilment every trace of goodness, beauty and truth found in the city of man. Come, and tell the world of the happiness you have found in meeting Jesus Christ, of your desire to know him better, of how you are committed to proclaiming the Gospel of salvation to the ends of the earth!

The young people of Canada, together with their Bishops and the civil authorities, are already preparing to welcome you with great warmth and hospitality. For this I thank them all from my heart. May this first World Youth Day of the new millennium bring to everyone a message of faith, hope and love!

My blessing goes with you. And to Mary Mother of the Church I entrust each one of you, your vocation and your mission.

From Castel Gandolfo, 25 July 2001.

[Pope John Paul II, Message for the 17th WYD, Toronto]

64. After this brief look at the word of God, we cannot just say that young people are the future of our world. They are its present; even now, they are helping to enrich it. Young people are no longer children. They are at a time of life when they begin to assume a number of responsibilities, sharing alongside adults in the growth of the family, society and the Church. Yet the times are changing, leading us to ask: What are today’s young people really like? What is going on in their lives?

In positive terms

65. The Synod recognized that the members of the Church do not always take the approach of Jesus. Rather than listening to young people attentively, “all too often, there is a tendency to provide prepackaged answers and ready-made solutions, without allowing their real questions to emerge and facing the challenges they pose”.[24] Yet once the Church sets aside narrow preconceptions and listens carefully to the young, this empathy enriches her, for “it allows young people to make their own contribution to the community, helping it to appreciate new sensitivities and to consider new questions”.[25]

66. We adults can often be tempted to list all the problems and failings of today’s young people. Perhaps some will find it praiseworthy that we seem so expert in discerning difficulties and dangers. But what would be the result of such an attitude? Greater distance, less closeness, less mutual assistance.

67. Anyone called to be a parent, pastor or guide to young people must have the farsightedness to appreciate the little flame that continues to burn, the fragile reed that is shaken but not broken (cf. Is 42:3). The ability to discern pathways where others only see walls, to recognize potential where others see only peril. That is how God the Father see things; he knows how to cherish and nurture the seeds of goodness sown in the hearts of the young. Each young person’s heart should thus be considered “holy ground”, a bearer of seeds of divine life, before which we must “take off our shoes” in order to draw near and enter more deeply into the Mystery.

Many ways of being young

68. We might attempt to draw a picture of young people today, but first I would echo the Synod Fathers, who noted that “the makeup of the Synod brought out the presence and contribution of many different regions of the world, and highlighted the beauty of our being a universal Church. In a context of growing globalization, the Synod Fathers wanted the many differences of contexts and cultures, even within individual countries, to be duly emphasized. The worlds of today’s ‘youth’ are so many that in some countries one tends to speak of ‘young people’ in the plural. The age group considered by the Synod (16-29 years) does not represent a homogeneous category, but is composed of distinct groups, each with its own life experience”.[26]

69. From a demographic standpoint too, some countries have many young people, whereas others have a very low birth rate. “A further differentiating factor is historical: there are countries and continents of ancient Christian tradition, whose culture is indelibly marked by a memory that cannot be lightly dismissed, while other countries and continents are characterized by other religious traditions, where Christianity is a minority presence – and at times a recent one. In other places still, Christian communities, and young people who belong to them, experience persecution”.[27] There is also a need to distinguish young people “with access to the growing opportunities offered by globalization from those who live on the fringes of society or in rural areas, and find themselves excluded or discarded”.[28]

70. There are many more differences, which it would be difficult to examine here. In any event, I see no need for a detailed analysis of today’s young people, their lives and their experiences. At the same time, since I do not want to neglect that reality, I will briefly summarize some contributions received before the Synod and others that I heard in the course of our meetings.

Some experiences of young people

71. Youth is not something to be analyzed in the abstract. Indeed, “youth” does not exist: there exist only young people, each with the reality of his or her own life. In today’s rapidly changing world, many of those lives are exposed to suffering and manipulation.

Living in a world in crisis

72. The Synod Fathers acknowledged with sorrow that “many young people today live in war zones and experience violence in countless different forms: kidnapping, extortion, organized crime, human trafficking, slavery and sexual exploitation, wartime rape, and so forth. Other young people, because of their faith, struggle to find their place in society and endure various kinds of persecution, even murder. Many young people, whether by force or lack of alternatives, live by committing crimes and acts of violence: child soldiers, armed criminal gangs, drug trafficking, terrorism, and so on. This violence destroys many young lives. Abuse and addiction, together with violence and wrongdoing, are some of the reasons that send young people to prison, with a higher incidence in certain ethnic and social groups”.[29]

73. Many young people are taken in by ideologies, used and exploited as cannon fodder or a strike force to destroy, terrify or ridicule others. Worse yet, many of them end up as individualists, hostile and distrustful of others; in this way, they become an easy target for the brutal and destructive strategies of political groups or economic powers.

74. “Even more numerous in the world are young people who suffer forms of marginalization and social exclusion for religious, ethnic or economic reasons. Let us not forget the difficult situation of adolescents and young people who become pregnant, the scourge of abortion, the spread of HIV, various forms of addiction (drugs, gambling, pornography and so forth), and the plight of street children without homes, families or economic resources”.[30] In the case of women, these situations are doubly painful and difficult.

75. As a Church, may we never fail to weep before these tragedies of our young. May we never become inured to them, for anyone incapable of tears cannot be a mother. We want to weep so that society itself can be more of a mother, so that in place of killing it can learn to give birth, to become a promise of life. We weep when we think of all those young people who have already lost their lives due to poverty and violence, and we ask society to learn to be a caring mother. None of this pain goes away; it stays with us, because the harsh reality can no longer be concealed. The worst thing we can do is adopt that worldly spirit whose solution is simply to anaesthetize young people with other messages, with other distractions, with trivial pursuits.

76. Perhaps “those of us who have a reasonably comfortable life don’t know how to weep. Some realities in life are only seen with eyes cleansed by tears. I would like each of you to ask yourself this question: Can I weep? Can I weep when I see a child who is starving, on drugs or on the street, homeless, abandoned, mistreated or exploited as a slave by society? Or is my weeping only the self-centred whining of those who cry because they want something else?”[31] Try to learn to weep for all those young people less fortunate than yourselves. Weeping is also an expression of mercy and compassion. If tears do not come, ask the Lord to give you the grace to weep for the sufferings of others. Once you can weep, then you will be able to help others from the heart.

77. At times, the hurt felt by some young people is heart-rending, a pain too deep for words. They can only tell God how much they are suffering, and how hard it is for them to keep going, since they no longer believe in anyone. Yet in that sorrowful plea, the words of Jesus make themselves heard: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Mt 5:4). Some young men and women were able to move forward because they heard that divine promise. May all young people who are suffering feel the closeness of a Christian community that can reflect those words by its actions, its embrace and its concrete help.

78. It is true that people in power offer some assistance, but often it comes at a high price. In many poor countries, economic aid provided by some richer countries or international agencies is usually tied to the acceptance of Western views of sexuality, marriage, life or social justice. This ideological colonization is especially harmful to the young. We also see how a certain kind of advertising teaches young people to be perpetually dissatisfied and contributes to the throwaway culture, in which young people themselves end up being discarded.

79. Our present-day culture exploits the image of the young. Beauty is associated with a youthful appearance, cosmetic treatments that hide the traces of time. Young bodies are constantly advertised as a means of selling products. The ideal of beauty is youth, but we need to realize that this has very little to do with young people. It only means that adults want to snatch youth for themselves, not that they respect, love and care for young people.

80. Some young people “find family traditions oppressive and they flee from them under the impulse of a globalized culture that at times leaves them without points of reference. In other parts of the world, even more than generational conflict between young people and adults, there is mutual estrangement. Sometimes adults fail, or do not even try, to hand on the basic values of life, or they try to imitate young people, thus inverting the relationship between generations. The relationship between young people and adults thus risks remaining on the affective level, leaving its educational and cultural aspects untouched”.[32] What harm this does to young people, even though some do not notice it! Young people themselves have remarked how enormously difficult this makes the transmission of the faith “in some countries without freedom of speech, where young people are prevented from attending Church”.[33]

Desires, hurts and longings

81. Young people are aware that the body and sexuality have an essential importance for their lives and for their process of growth in identity. Yet in a world that constantly exalts sexuality, maintaining a healthy relationship with one’s body and a serene affective life is not easy. For this and other reasons, sexual morality often tends to be a source of “incomprehension and alienation from the Church, inasmuch as she is viewed as a place of judgment and condemnation”. Nonetheless, young people also express “an explicit desire to discuss questions concerning the difference between male and female identity, reciprocity between men and women, and homosexuality”.[34]

82. In our times, “advances in the sciences and in biomedical technologies have powerfully influenced perceptions about the body, leading to the idea that it is open to unlimited modification. The capacity to intervene in DNA, the possibility of inserting artificial elements into organisms (cyborgs) and the development of the neurosciences represent a great resource, but at the same time they raise serious anthropological and ethical questions”.[35] They can make us forget that life is a gift, and that we are creatures with innate limits, open to exploitation by those who wield technological power.[36] “Moreover, in some youth circles, there is a growing fascination with risk-taking behaviour as a means of self-exploration, seeking powerful emotions and gaining attention… These realities, to which young generations are exposed, are an obstacle to their serene growth in maturity”.[37]

83. Young people also experience setbacks, disappointments and profoundly painful memories. Often they feel “the hurt of past failures, frustrated desires, experiences of discrimination and injustice, of feeling unloved and unaccepted”. Then too “there are moral wounds, the burden of past errors, a sense of guilt for having made mistakes”.[38] Jesus makes his presence felt amid these crosses borne by young people; he offers them his friendship, his consolation and his healing companionship. The Church wants to be his instrument on this path to interior healing and peace of heart.

84. In some young people, we can see a desire for God, albeit still vague and far from knowledge of the God of revelation. In others, we can glimpse an ideal of human fraternity, which is no small thing. Many have a genuine desire to develop their talents in order to offer something to our world. In some, we see a special artistic sensitivity, or a yearning for harmony with nature. In others, perhaps, a great need to communicate. In many of them, we encounter a deep desire to live life differently. In all of this, we can find real starting points, inner resources open to a word of incentive, wisdom and encouragement.

85. The Synod dealt in particular with three areas of utmost importance. Here I would like to quote its conclusions, while recognizing that they call for greater analysis and the development of a more adequate and effective ability to respond.

The digital environment

86. “The digital environment is characteristic of the contemporary world. Broad swathes of humanity are immersed in it in an ordinary and continuous manner. It is no longer merely a question of ‘using’ instruments of communication, but of living in a highly digitalized culture that has had a profound impact on ideas of time and space, on our self-understanding, our understanding of others and the world, and our ability to communicate, learn, be informed and enter into relationship with others. An approach to reality that privileges images over listening and reading has influenced the way people learn and the development of their critical sense”.[39]

87. The web and social networks have created a new way to communicate and bond. They are “a public square where the young spend much of their time and meet one another easily, even though not all have equal access to it, particularly in some regions of the world. They provide an extraordinary opportunity for dialogue, encounter and exchange between persons, as well as access to information and knowledge. Moreover, the digital world is one of social and political engagement and active citizenship, and it can facilitate the circulation of independent information providing effective protection for the most vulnerable and publicizing violations of their rights. In many countries, the internet and social networks already represent a firmly established forum for reaching and involving young people, not least in pastoral initiatives and activities”.[40]

88. Yet to understand this phenomenon as a whole, we need to realize that, like every human reality, it has its share of limitations and deficiencies. It is not healthy to confuse communication with mere virtual contact. Indeed, “the digital environment is also one of loneliness, manipulation, exploitation and violence, even to the extreme case of the ‘dark web’. Digital media can expose people to the risk of addiction, isolation and gradual loss of contact with concrete reality, blocking the development of authentic interpersonal relationships. New forms of violence are spreading through social media, for example cyberbullying. The internet is also a channel for spreading pornography and the exploitation of persons for sexual purposes or through gambling”.[41]

89. It should not be forgotten that “there are huge economic interests operating in the digital world, capable of exercising forms of control as subtle as they are invasive, creating mechanisms for the manipulation of consciences and of the democratic process. The way many platforms work often ends up favouring encounter between persons who think alike, shielding them from debate. These closed circuits facilitate the spread of fake news and false information, fomenting prejudice and hate. The proliferation of fake news is the expression of a culture that has lost its sense of truth and bends the facts to suit particular interests. The reputation of individuals is put in jeopardy through summary trials conducted online. The Church and her pastors are not exempt from this phenomenon”.[42]

90. A document prepared on the eve of the Synod by three hundred young people worldwide pointed out that “online relationships can become inhuman. Digital spaces blind us to the vulnerability of another human being and prevent us from our own self-reflection. Problems like pornography distort a young person’s perception of human sexuality. Technology used in this way creates a delusional parallel reality that ignores human dignity”.[43] For many people, immersion in the virtual world has brought about a kind of “digital migration”, involving withdrawal from their families and their cultural and religious values, and entrance into a world of loneliness and of self-invention, with the result that they feel rootless even while remaining physically in one place. The fresh and exuberant lives of young people who want to affirm their personality today confront a new challenge: that of interacting with a real and virtual world that they enter alone, as if setting foot on an undiscovered global continent. Young people today are the first to have to effect this synthesis between what is personal, what is distinctive to their respective cultures, and what is global. This means that they must find ways to pass from virtual contact to good and healthy communication.

Migrants as an epitome of our time

91. How can we fail to think of all those young people affected by movements of migration? “Migration, considered globally, is a structural phenomenon, and not a passing emergency. It may occur within one country or between different countries. The Church’s concern is focused especially on those fleeing from war, violence, political or religious persecution, from natural disasters including those caused by climate change, and from extreme poverty. Many of them are young. In general, they are seeking opportunities for themselves and their families. They dream of a better future and they want to create the conditions for achieving it”.[44] Migrants “remind us of a basic aspect of our faith, that we are ‘strangers and exiles on the earth’ (Heb 11:13)”.[45]

92. Other migrants are “attracted by Western culture, sometimes with unrealistic expectations that expose them to grave disappointments. Unscrupulous traffickers, frequently linked to drug cartels or arms cartels, exploit the weakness of migrants, who too often experience violence, trafficking, psychological and physical abuse and untold sufferings on their journey. Nor must we overlook the particular vulnerability of migrants who are unaccompanied minors, or the situation of those compelled to spend many years in refugee camps, or of those who remain trapped for a long time in transit countries, without being able to pursue a course of studies or to use their talents. In some host countries, migration causes fear and alarm, often fomented and exploited for political ends. This can lead to a xenophobic mentality, as people close in on themselves, and this needs to be addressed decisively”.[46]

93. “Young migrants experience separation from their place of origin, and often a cultural and religious uprooting as well. Fragmentation is also felt by the communities they leave behind, which lose their most vigorous and enterprising elements, and by families, especially when one or both of the parents migrates, leaving the children in the country of origin. The Church has an important role as a point of reference for the young members of these divided families. However, the stories of migrants are also stories of encounter between individuals and between cultures. For the communities and societies to which they come, migrants bring an opportunity for enrichment and the integral human development of all. Initiatives of welcome involving the Church have an important role from this perspective; they can bring new life to the communities capable of undertaking them”.[47]

94. “Given the varied backgrounds of the Synod Fathers, the discussion of migrants benefited from a great variety of approaches, particularly from countries of departure and countries of arrival. Grave concern was also expressed by Churches whose members feel forced to escape war and persecution and by others who see in these forced migrations a threat to their survival. The very fact that the Church can embrace all these varied perspectives allows her to play a prophetic role in society with regard to the issue of migration”.[48] In a special way, I urge young people not to play into the hands of those who would set them against other young people, newly arrived in their countries, and who would encourage them to view the latter as a threat, and not possessed of the same inalienable dignity as every other human being.

Ending every form of abuse

95. Recently, urgent appeals have been made for us to hear the cry of the victims of different kinds of abuse perpetrated by some bishops, priests, religious and laypersons. These sins cause their victims “sufferings that can last a lifetime and that no repentance can remedy. This phenomenon is widespread in society and it also affects the Church and represents a serious obstacle to her mission”.[49]

96. It is true that “the scourge of the sexual abuse of minors is, and historically has been, a widespread phenomenon in all cultures and societies”, especially within families and in various institutions; its extent has become known primarily “thanks to changes in public opinion”. Even so, this problem, while it is universal and “gravely affects our societies as a whole… is in no way less monstrous when it takes place within the Church”. Indeed, “in people’s justified anger, the Church sees the reflection of the wrath of God, betrayed and insulted”.[50]

97. “The Synod reaffirms the firm commitment made to adopting rigorous preventative measures intended to avoid the recurrence [of these crimes], starting with the selection and formation of those to whom tasks of responsibility and education will be entrusted”.[51] At the same time, the determination to apply the “actions and sanctions that are so necessary” must be reiterated.[52] And all this with the grace of Christ. There can be no turning back.

98. “Abuse exists in various forms: the abuse of power, the abuse of conscience, sexual and financial abuse. Clearly, the ways of exercising authority that make all this possible have to be eradicated, and the irresponsibility and lack of transparency with which so many cases have been handled have to be challenged. The desire to dominate, lack of dialogue and transparency, forms of double life, spiritual emptiness, as well as psychological weaknesses, are the terrain on which corruption thrives”.[53] Clericalism is a constant temptation on the part of priests who see “the ministry they have received as a power to be exercised, rather than a free and generous service to be offered. It makes us think that we belong to a group that has all the answers and no longer needs to listen or has anything to learn”.[54] Doubtless, such clericalism can make consecrated persons lose respect for the sacred and inalienable worth of each person and of his or her freedom.

99. Together with the Synod Fathers, I wish to thank, with gratitude and affection, “those who had the courage to report the evil they experienced: they help the Church to acknowledge what happened and the need to respond decisively”.[55] Particular gratitude is also due for “the generous commitment of countless lay persons, priests, consecrated men and women, and bishops who daily devote themselves with integrity and dedication to the service of the young. Their efforts are like a great forest that quietly grows. Many of the young people present at the Synod also expressed gratitude to those who have accompanied them and they emphasized the great need for adults who can serve as points of reference”.[56]

100. Thank God, those who committed these horrible crimes are not the majority of priests, who carry out their ministry with fidelity and generosity. I ask young people to let themselves be inspired by this vast majority. And if you see a priest at risk, because he has lost the joy of his ministry, or seeks affective compensation, or is taking the wrong path, remind him of his commitment to God and his people, remind him of the Gospel and urge him to hold to his course. In this way, you will contribute greatly to something fundamental: preventing these atrocities from being repeated. This dark cloud also challenges all young people who love Jesus Christ and his Church: they can be a source of great healing if they employ their great capacity to bring about renewal, to urge and demand consistent witness, to keep dreaming and coming up with new ideas.

101. Nor is this the only sin of the members of the Church; her long history is not without its shadows. Our sins are before the eyes of everyone; they appear all too clearly in the lines on the age-old face of the Church, our Mother and Teacher. For two thousand years she has advanced on her pilgrim way, sharing “the joys and the hopes, the grief and anguish”[57] of all humanity. She has made this journey as she is, without cosmetic surgery of any kind. She is not afraid to reveal the sins of her members, which some try at times to hide, before the burning light of the word of the Gospel, which cleanses and purifies. Nor does she stop reciting each day, in shame: “Have mercy on me, Lord, in your kindness… my sin is always before me” (Ps 51:3.5). Still, let us never forget that we must not abandon our Mother when she is wounded, but stand beside her, so that she can summon up all her strength and all her ability to begin ever anew.

102. In the midst of this tragedy, which rightly pains us, “the Lord Jesus, who never abandons his Church, offers her the strength and the means to set out on a new path”.[58] This dark moment, “not without the valuable help of the young, can truly be an opportunity for a reform of epoch-making significance”,[59] opening us to a new Pentecost and inaugurating a new stage of purification and change capable of renewing the Church’s youth. Young people will be all the more helpful if they feel fully a part of the “holy and patient, faithful People of God, borne up and enlivened by the Holy Spirit”, for “it will be precisely this holy People of God to liberate us from the plague of clericalism, which is the fertile ground for all these disgraces”.[60]

A way out

103. In this chapter, I have taken time to look at the reality of young people in today’s world. Some other aspects will be dealt with in the following chapters. As I have said, I do not claim to be exhaustive in this analysis. I encourage communities to examine, respectfully and seriously, the situation of their young people, in order to find the most fitting ways of providing them with pastoral care. At the same time, I do not want to end this chapter without addressing some words to each of you.

104. I remind you of the good news we received as a gift on the morning of the resurrection: that in all the dark or painful situations that we mentioned, there is a way out. For example, it is true that the digital world can expose you to the risk of self-absorption, isolation and empty pleasure. But don’t forget that there are young people even there who show creativity and even genius. That was the case with the Venerable Carlo Acutis.

105. Carlo was well aware that the whole apparatus of communications, advertising and social networking can be used to lull us, to make us addicted to consumerism and buying the latest thing on the market, obsessed with our free time, caught up in negativity. Yet he knew how to use the new communications technology to transmit the Gospel, to communicate values and beauty.

106. Carlo didn’t fall into the trap. He saw that many young people, wanting to be different, really end up being like everyone else, running after whatever the powerful set before them with the mechanisms of consumerism and distraction. In this way they do not bring forth the gifts the Lord has given them; they do not offer the world those unique personal talents that God has given to each of them. As a result, Carlo said, “everyone is born as an original, but many people end up dying as photocopies”. Don’t let that happen to you!

107. Don’t let them rob you of hope and joy, or drug you into becoming a slave to their interests. Dare to be more, because who you are is more important than any possession. What good are possessions or appearances? You can become what God your Creator knows you are, if only you realize that you are called to something greater. Ask the help of the Holy Spirit and confidently aim for the great goal of holiness. In this way, you will not be a photocopy. You will be fully yourself.

[Pope Francis, post-synodal exhortation Christus Vivit]