‘in Lisbon, to rediscover the embrace of peoples’

Francis’ message was broadcast in view of WYD in August 2023, which will bring together young Catholics from all continents in Portugal for a meeting with the Pope. In these difficult times, marked by the pandemic and the war, “Mary reopens the path of proximity and encounter for all”.

Vatican City () – “I dream that at WYD in Lisbon – with God’s help – we will rediscover together the joy of the fraternal embrace between peoples and between generations, the embrace of reconciliation and peace, the embrace of a new missionary fraternity!” Pope Francis writes this to young people around the world in his message for the next World Youth Day. The text -published today- analyzes two events in the coming months: the day that dioceses around the world will celebrate locally with young people on November 20, the solemnity of Christ the King, and the great meeting in which, every three years, Young Catholics from all continents come together in one place for the meeting with the Pope, which will take place in the Portuguese capital from August 1 to 6, 2023.

For both moments Francis wanted to propose the same theme – “Mary got up and left without delay” (Lk 1,39) – which refers to the evangelical image of the Virgin who undertakes a journey to assist her cousin Elizabeth, because through the angel she learned that she is also expecting a child. “In these last difficult times, in which humanity, already tested by the trauma of the pandemic, is torn by the drama of war – writes the pontiff to young people – Mary reopens for everyone and in particular for you, young people like her, the path of proximity and the meeting. I hope, and I firmly believe, that the experience that many of you will live in Lisbon in August next year will represent a new beginning for you, young people, and – with you – for all of humanity”.

The Pope underlines that, after the Annunciation, the Virgin “could have concentrated on herself, on the concerns and fears due to her new condition. But not; she fully trusted God. She was thinking more of Isabel. She got up and went out into the sunlight, where there is life and movement. Although the shocking announcement of the angel caused an “earthquake” in her plans, the young woman did not allow herself to be paralyzed, because Jesus, the power of the resurrection, was in her. And this is what Francis also asks of today’s young people, inviting them to get “on the move”, without remaining “still in front of the mirror to contemplate their own image or “trapped” in networks.

Maria allowed herself to be challenged by her elderly cousin’s need. She “she thought more of others than of herself – observes Francesco – and this gave dynamism and enthusiasm to her life. Each of you may ask yourself: How do I react to the needs I see around me? Do I immediately think of a justification for disengaging, or do I take an interest and make myself available? Of course, you can’t solve all the world’s problems. But maybe they can start with the closest ones, with the problems in their own area.”

Our Lady also teaches us to act quickly, without delay: “It is the haste of those who know how to put the needs of others above their own,” Francis points out. María is an example of a young person who does not waste time seeking the attention or approval of others —as happens when we depend on “likes” on social networks—, but instead moves to seek the most genuine connection, the that arises from encounter, sharing, love and service”.

“My message to you, young people, the great message that the Church is the bearer of, is Jesus! Yes, Himself, his infinite love for each one of us, his salvation and the new life he has given us.” “And Mary is the model of how to welcome this immense gift in our lives and communicate it to others, making us in turn bearers of Christ, bearers of his compassionate love, of his generous service to suffering humanity”

In this sense, Pope Francis recalls how many young missionaries have left Lisbon over the centuries to “share their experience of Jesus with other peoples and nations”. And how in Portugal itself, from Fatima, the Virgin “launched to all generations the powerful and admirable message of God’s love that calls for conversion, for true freedom.” “Let’s get up without delay!” -concludes the pontiff- “And, like Mary, let us carry Jesus within us to communicate him to everyone. In this beautiful moment of your lives, go ahead, do not postpone what the Spirit can do in you.