St. Maria Goretti died at the hands of her attempted rapist, Alessandro.
St. John Paul II repeatedly pointed to her as an intercessor for young people, especially to grow in the virtue of chastity.
At the end of an Angelus message in 2002, St. John Paul II prayed the following prayer, that young people would rediscover the value of chastity.
Let us now address Our Lady, whose name was given to St Maria Goretti.
May the purest of human creatures
help the men and women of our time,
and especially young people,
to rediscover the value of chastity
and to live interpersonal relations in reciprocal respect and sincere love.
And today we celebrate...
