Transcription of the video conference
held between His Holiness, Pope Francis
and young people in La Habana (Cuba)
Dear young people gathered in La Habana,
With much hope, I am united with you in this moment in which you are spiritually together with the universal Church whose young heart is gathered in Kraków. I hope that these days will be for all of us, a special occasion for the promotion of the culture of encounter, the culture of respect, the culture of understanding and mutual forgiveness. That's what it means to make trouble, and to dream. And young people have a tendency to make trouble.
I suggest that you live this experience as one of listening carefully to the gospel and then you will be able to live its life within you, within your family, with your friends. You know very well that the gospel transforms the heart: may you be transformed by his words which are spirit and life; those words that are concrete, concrete like life, because at your age you have already realized that life is concrete. These are not dreams, life is concrete, or do you just take things as they come, is it concrete or simply a passing reality?
When you pray the Via Crucis, remember that we cannot love God if we do not love our brothers, and this is simply because the Cross is our guarantee of the faithfulness of God for us. That is to say, the cross is a sign of concrete love for a concrete life, a love that is so great that it is capable of entering into our sinfulness, into our suffering, of forgiving our sin, of tending to our sufferings. The Cross is a love that enters into our suffering and gives us strength to cope ; and it also enters into the midst of death in order to triumph over it and to save us.
As you pass through the Holy Door, let yourselves be infected by this love - just like you listen to a doctor and do what he tells you to do - infused, infused with love, you will be able to learn to always look to others with mercy, with closeness, with tenderness, especially those who are suffering and need your help.
Spend time before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament: accompany him, because in him, and only in him, will you find the strength to follow the most beautiful and promising plan for happiness in your life; did you know? - love is constructive, it does not destroy ... even our enemies; love always builds. And, when you are sent out by the Bishops as Witnesses of Mercy, remember that the most beautiful wish of the Master is to not be afraid of anything. Boys and girls, do not be afraid of anything, be free from the bonds of this world and proclaim to everyone - to the sick, to the elderly, to those who are sad, that the Church is crying with them and that Jesus is capable of giving them new life, able to raise them up.
Perhaps you can help them to believe what the Venerable Father Félix Varela told us: you are the sweet hope of the motherland. Fatherhood is risky! But he is the one who tells you - these are not my words - you are the sweet hope of the motherland. To be bearers of hope, it will be necessary that you never lose the ability to dream. Remember that in the objectivity of life, you must maintain an ability to dream, and anyone who is not able to dream eventually becomes closed in upon himself (cf Greetings to youth at the Father Félix Varela Cultural Centre, La Habana, 20 September 2015). I would also add something more: when you do not maintain a capacity to dream, you have already retired. Young people who do not still have the ability to dream and to go look beyond horizons are no longer good for anything other than being confetti in a carnival.
Young Cubans: Open yourselves up to great things! Do not be afraid, do not be worried. Dream about a world that can be different for you! Dream about Cuba, that with you it can be different, better and better every day! Don't give up! In this endeavour, it is important, you must open your hearts and minds to the hope that Jesus gives.
And never forget that hope is supported; hope knows how to suffer even as it accomplishes its plan, but do not forget that the life that hope gives is fruitful. And with this hope, we will never be incapable, we will be able to give life to others, to our country, to our Church, and you will do great things. Why? Because hope helps us to build social friendships, although it may be different. It is not necessary that everyone should think alike, no, no, but everyone can join in this social friendship, even though we might think in different ways or hold different convictions; still we all have something in common: we all want to dream and we all want to love our country. The important thing, is to build a social friendship with everyone; building bridges, working together. Building bridges! Some of you may say to me: But how can I build a bridge, if I am not a carpenter, or an engineer? We can all build bridges, with words, with our desire, with our hearts. So now I invite you to be builders of human bridges, of the first bridges built in history: shake hands, stretch out your arms and shake hands. Do it (now)! And so, now, all together, with outstretched hands, let us bear witness to our desire to build bridges and to work hand in hand.
Boys and girls gathered in La Habana but with your hearts in Kraków: Don't be worried! Get together! Build bridges, always with open hands.
Along your way, may the Virgin Mary of Charity encourage you. For more than 400 years, she has accompanied you in faith, hope and the encounter among all Cubans. Plant your feet in the beautiful footprints that her Son is pointing out to you in these days. And remember the words she spoke at Cana: Do whatever he tells you (Jn 2:5).
I assure you of my closeness in prayer with you and for you and for all the beloved Cuban people, and with special affection, I send you my blessing. And as always, I ask you: pray for me. With a hug and a bridge.
(Original text in Spanish)
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