This afternoon, at 5:00pm local time (11:00am EDT) in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican, in the presence of the Holy Father, Pope Francis, there was a special event entitled We are for. United, together, creative, held as part of the XV Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the theme of Youth, faith and vocational discernment. The Synod is taking place at the Vatican from 3 to 28 October 2018.
During this afternoon's gathering, which included testimonials and artistic as well as musical presentations, also included responses of the Holy Father, Pope Francis to some questions which had been submitted by youth.
Here are the written questions ... The Synod Fathers will give you the answer. Because if I gave the answers here, I would nullify the Synod! The answers must come from everyone, from our reflection, from our discussion and, above all, there must be answers offered without fear.
I will limit myself to only - with regard to these questions - to saying something that might be helpful, some principles.
To you, young people, who have spoken, who have given your testimonies, who have come a long way, I say: this is the first answer. Make your way. Be young people on the move, looking toward the horizons, not in the mirror. Always look forward, on the move, and not sitting on the couch. So many times I have to say this: a young man, a boy, a girl, who is on the couch, ends up stagnant at the age of 24: that's ugly! And then, you said it well: what makes me find myself is not the mirror, a certain look, just as I am. Finding myself happens in the process of doing, going in search of the good, the truth, beauty. It is there that I will find myself.
Then, in this same path, another word that struck me was the last one. The last one was strong, but it's true ... Who said it? ... You. It was strong: consistency. Consistency of life. I am taking a journey, but with coherence of life. And when you see an incoherent Church, a Church that reads you the Beatitudes and then falls into the most princely and scandalous clericalism, I understand, I understand ... If you are a Christian, take the Beatitudes and put them into practice. And if you are a man or a woman who gave your life, you consecrated yourself; if you are a priest - even a dancing priest (referring to one of the testimonies) - if you are a priest and you want to live as a Christian, follow the path of the Beatitudes, not the path of worldliness, the path of clericalism, which is one of the ugliest perversions of the Church. Consistency of life. But you too (turning to the young people), you must be consistent in your way and ask yourself: Am I consistent in my life?. This is a second principle.
Then there is the problem of inequalities. We lose the true sense of power - this applies to the question of politics - we lose what Jesus told us, that power is service: the real power is to serve. Otherwise it is selfishness, it is diminishing the other person, not letting him grow, it is dominating, making slaves, not mature people. The right power is the ability to make people grow, to become servants of the people. This is the principle: both for politics and for the consistency of your questions.
Then, there were other questions ... I'll tell you something. Please you, young people, boys and girls, you have no price! You cannot be auctioned! Please do not let yourself be bought, do not let yourself be seduced, do not let yourself be enslaved by ideological colonizations that put ideas into our heads; eventually, you become slaves, dependent, failed in life. You have no price: you must always repeat this: I cannot be auctioned, I have no price. I am free, I am free! Fall in love with this freedom, which is what Jesus offers.
Then there are two more things - and I would like to end with this - among the ideas you have said and to which the Synodal Fathers will respond by dialoguing with your questions. The first is on the use of the web. It's true: the interconnection with the digital world is immediate, it's effective, it's fast. But if you get used to this, you will end - and this I will say is real - you will end up like a family where, at the table, at lunch or dinner, everyone holds on to the phone and talks to other people, or they communicate with the phone, without a concrete, real relationship, without concreteness. Every road you make must be concrete in order to be reliable, like experiences, many experiences that you have spoken about here. None of the testimonies you gave today were liquid: they were all concrete. Concreteness. Concreteness is the guarantee of moving forward. If the media, if the use of the web takes you out of concreteness, makes you liquid, cut it off. Cut it. Because if there is no concreteness there will be no future for you. This is sure, it is a rule of the road and of the journey.
And then, there must be concreteness also in your reception. Many of the examples, which you have given today, concern reception. Michel asked this question: How to overcome the increasingly widespread mentality that he sees in the stranger, in the people who are different, in the migrant, danger, evil, the enemy to be hunted?. This is the mentality of the exploitation of the people, of making the weak ones into slaves. You close not only the doors, you also close your hands. And today people who have nothing to do with what is popular, are a little fashionable. Popular is the culture of the people, the culture of each of your peoples that expresses itself in art, is expressed in culture, it is expressed in the science of the people, it is expressed in a party! Every people creates a party in its own way. This is popular. But populism is the opposite: it is a model of closure to a different model. If we are closed, we are alone. And when we are closed, we cannot go on. Be careful. This was the mentality that Michel spoke about: How do we overcome the increasingly widespread mentality that sees danger in the stranger, in someone who is different, in the migrant, in the evil, in the danger to be hunted?. We win with an embrace, with a welcome, with dialogue, with love, which is the word that opens all doors.
And finally - I spoke about concreteness - each of you wants to travel the road of life, a concrete road, a road that bears fruit. Thanks to you (Giovanni Caccamo) for the photo with your grandfather: perhaps that photograph was the best message of this evening. Talk to old people, talk to grandparents: they are the roots, the roots of your concreteness, the roots of your growth, so that you can flourish and bear fruit. Remember: if the tree is alone, it will not bear fruit. All that the tree has in flower comes from what is buried. This expression is from a poet, it is not mine. But that's the truth. Stay connected to your roots, but do not stay there. Take the roots and bring them forward to bear fruit, and you too will become roots for others. Do not forget to take photographs, with your grandfathers. Talk to your grandparents, talk to elderly people and this will make you happy.
Thank you! These are some reference points. The responses will come from them (points to the Synod Fathers). Thank you, thank you!
During this afternoon's gathering, which included testimonials and artistic as well as musical presentations, also included responses of the Holy Father, Pope Francis to some questions which had been submitted by youth.
Speech of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
during the gathering of young people
Here are the written questions ... The Synod Fathers will give you the answer. Because if I gave the answers here, I would nullify the Synod! The answers must come from everyone, from our reflection, from our discussion and, above all, there must be answers offered without fear.
I will limit myself to only - with regard to these questions - to saying something that might be helpful, some principles.
To you, young people, who have spoken, who have given your testimonies, who have come a long way, I say: this is the first answer. Make your way. Be young people on the move, looking toward the horizons, not in the mirror. Always look forward, on the move, and not sitting on the couch. So many times I have to say this: a young man, a boy, a girl, who is on the couch, ends up stagnant at the age of 24: that's ugly! And then, you said it well: what makes me find myself is not the mirror, a certain look, just as I am. Finding myself happens in the process of doing, going in search of the good, the truth, beauty. It is there that I will find myself.
Then, in this same path, another word that struck me was the last one. The last one was strong, but it's true ... Who said it? ... You. It was strong: consistency. Consistency of life. I am taking a journey, but with coherence of life. And when you see an incoherent Church, a Church that reads you the Beatitudes and then falls into the most princely and scandalous clericalism, I understand, I understand ... If you are a Christian, take the Beatitudes and put them into practice. And if you are a man or a woman who gave your life, you consecrated yourself; if you are a priest - even a dancing priest (referring to one of the testimonies) - if you are a priest and you want to live as a Christian, follow the path of the Beatitudes, not the path of worldliness, the path of clericalism, which is one of the ugliest perversions of the Church. Consistency of life. But you too (turning to the young people), you must be consistent in your way and ask yourself: Am I consistent in my life?. This is a second principle.
Then there is the problem of inequalities. We lose the true sense of power - this applies to the question of politics - we lose what Jesus told us, that power is service: the real power is to serve. Otherwise it is selfishness, it is diminishing the other person, not letting him grow, it is dominating, making slaves, not mature people. The right power is the ability to make people grow, to become servants of the people. This is the principle: both for politics and for the consistency of your questions.
Then, there were other questions ... I'll tell you something. Please you, young people, boys and girls, you have no price! You cannot be auctioned! Please do not let yourself be bought, do not let yourself be seduced, do not let yourself be enslaved by ideological colonizations that put ideas into our heads; eventually, you become slaves, dependent, failed in life. You have no price: you must always repeat this: I cannot be auctioned, I have no price. I am free, I am free! Fall in love with this freedom, which is what Jesus offers.
Then there are two more things - and I would like to end with this - among the ideas you have said and to which the Synodal Fathers will respond by dialoguing with your questions. The first is on the use of the web. It's true: the interconnection with the digital world is immediate, it's effective, it's fast. But if you get used to this, you will end - and this I will say is real - you will end up like a family where, at the table, at lunch or dinner, everyone holds on to the phone and talks to other people, or they communicate with the phone, without a concrete, real relationship, without concreteness. Every road you make must be concrete in order to be reliable, like experiences, many experiences that you have spoken about here. None of the testimonies you gave today were liquid: they were all concrete. Concreteness. Concreteness is the guarantee of moving forward. If the media, if the use of the web takes you out of concreteness, makes you liquid, cut it off. Cut it. Because if there is no concreteness there will be no future for you. This is sure, it is a rule of the road and of the journey.
And then, there must be concreteness also in your reception. Many of the examples, which you have given today, concern reception. Michel asked this question: How to overcome the increasingly widespread mentality that he sees in the stranger, in the people who are different, in the migrant, danger, evil, the enemy to be hunted?. This is the mentality of the exploitation of the people, of making the weak ones into slaves. You close not only the doors, you also close your hands. And today people who have nothing to do with what is popular, are a little fashionable. Popular is the culture of the people, the culture of each of your peoples that expresses itself in art, is expressed in culture, it is expressed in the science of the people, it is expressed in a party! Every people creates a party in its own way. This is popular. But populism is the opposite: it is a model of closure to a different model. If we are closed, we are alone. And when we are closed, we cannot go on. Be careful. This was the mentality that Michel spoke about: How do we overcome the increasingly widespread mentality that sees danger in the stranger, in someone who is different, in the migrant, in the evil, in the danger to be hunted?. We win with an embrace, with a welcome, with dialogue, with love, which is the word that opens all doors.
And finally - I spoke about concreteness - each of you wants to travel the road of life, a concrete road, a road that bears fruit. Thanks to you (Giovanni Caccamo) for the photo with your grandfather: perhaps that photograph was the best message of this evening. Talk to old people, talk to grandparents: they are the roots, the roots of your concreteness, the roots of your growth, so that you can flourish and bear fruit. Remember: if the tree is alone, it will not bear fruit. All that the tree has in flower comes from what is buried. This expression is from a poet, it is not mine. But that's the truth. Stay connected to your roots, but do not stay there. Take the roots and bring them forward to bear fruit, and you too will become roots for others. Do not forget to take photographs, with your grandfathers. Talk to your grandparents, talk to elderly people and this will make you happy.
Thank you! These are some reference points. The responses will come from them (points to the Synod Fathers). Thank you, thank you!
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