The Catholic Church must not keep young men and women at a distance, but instead must learn to listen to them, Pope Francis said.
In a video message to young people gathered at several sites around the world to pray the Rosary together on 12th May, the pope warned of the “dangers of speaking to young people without letting them speak, leaving them at ‘a safe distance.'”
“Young people do not bite, they can come close and have enthusiasm,” said the pope. “And not only do you have enthusiasm, you hold the key to the future,” he told them.
The international Marian vigil organised at the Shrine of St Gabriel of the Sorrowful Mother in Teramo, Italy, connected Italian young adults with their peers from Panama, Russia, Ireland and Taiwan via video link to pray for the upcoming synod in October on “young people, faith and vocational discernment.”
Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, the general secretary of the Synod of Bishops, celebrated the vigil’s concluding Mass, the Vatican said on 12th May.
In the video, Pope Francis said praying the Rosary was a way for young people to show their affection for Mary who is “a young woman among the young, a woman of our days.”
Picture: World Youth Day pilgrims hold candles during Eucharistic adoration with Pope Francis at the 30th July 30 prayer vigil at the Field of Mercy in Krakow, Poland, on 30th July 2016. (CNS photo/Jaclyn Lippelmann, Catholic Standard).
