Catholic youth have clearly taken to heart the first words spoken by Leo XIV on the evening of his election on May 8: “Peace be with you.” Present in Rome for the Jubilee, thousands of young people responded with conviction to the Pope's call to express a “cry” for peace in the world.
“We want peace. We want to live in our country and in peace,” insists Max, a 19-year-old Ukrainian whose father has been fighting Russian troops since the invasion began.
The young man from Lviv, in western Ukraine, came with about 100 of his compatriots. They are traveling through the streets of Rome, repeating this call for an end to the fighting in their country.
He expresses his amazement at being enveloped in the “enthusiastic atmosphere” of the Jubilee.
“At home, we’re living in a time of war. We get up at night, we go to shelters ... Here, we’re in another world without Russian attacks,” he says, hoping that this harmony will spread to his country.
“We want to live and be in peace”
“In Spain, we hear about the many conflicts around the world, and we know that in the future things could get worse,” says Marco, 18. “We’re aware of this and want to live and be in peace,” pleads the young Spaniard, who passed through Assisi before joining his group in Rome. Responding to the Pope's appeal, he says, “That's one of the reasons we came: to meet people from different countries and say it publicly.”
On Wednesday, July 30, during the general audience, Pope Leo XIV again urged the promotion of peace “from Vancouver to Vladivostok.” His passionate plea resonated among the younger generation on every shore of the world's oceans.
Father Béni-Bertrand, a Burundian priest and missionary in Mexico, is convinced: “The Pope's words are an absolutely necessary message for young people, because we are the future.”
Having come with 120 pilgrims from Mexico, he notes that “sometimes we lack sensitivity towards the theme of peace.”
“When we live far from countries at war, we tend to think that it’s not our problem, but we must open our minds to those who are affected by these tragedies, and this Jubilee is an opportunity to do so,” he said.
