This August 2 evening, Pope Leo XIV met with the young people who have come to Rome for the Jubilee, an event celebrated by the Catholic Church every 25 years. The pontiff had already met them on Tuesday at the end of their opening Mass in St. Peter's Square and expressed his enthusiasm to see them again at Tor Vergata.
The campground, the size of a hundred football fields, transformed little by little today, from a large, uneven wasteland to an astonishing sea of people covered with tents and flags whipped by the hot wind, large screens, and loudspeakers broadcasting the performances of a dozen bands, under the large arch dominated by a cross blessed by John Paul II a quarter of a century earlier.
An Italian priest accompanying a group of young people from his parish shared his emotions: He remembers participating in the World Youth Day here in 2000, at a time when he did not yet know that he would one day be called to the priesthood.
For a long afternoon, the squares of land marked out by the organizers became small international villages, between which a continuous stream of young people circulated joyfully. Here, a group formed a circle around a tam-tam and two guitars to begin a time of praise. Further on, a young woman opened an improvised hairdressing salon and was very successful. Some had new friends sign their T-shirts, others exchanged bracelets, religious images, rosaries, phone numbers.
The phone charging stations are a popular places to socialize. Johannes, who comes from Cologne, is accompanying his friends but decided to come to Rome without his phone. “It's really liberating, I feel free. I'm experiencing this Jubilee without looking at my screen, the photos are in my head, and I send messages directly to the people I meet,” he says.
He's here!
At around 7:30 p.m., a roar rises from the crowd: The white helicopter of the Supreme Pontiff crosses the sky. The helicopter landed as the sun set, and the Holy Father takes to the popemobile to crisscross the aisles for half an hour, welcomed in each one by a wall of smartphones and wild cheers. A young Vietnamese nun, overjoyed to see Leo XIV, cries out in a small voice: “We love you, Pope Leo!”
Finally, the Pope began his walk up the central aisle, carrying himself the Jubilee cross, followed by a procession of young people from every continent who climbed with him the long staircase onto the giant podium.
After reaching the stage, the pontiff turned to face the huge crowd, hiding his face behind the crucifix, as if to emphasize who is really the reason for all the jubilation.
Pope's prayers for two deceased girls
The evening began with a prayer and dialogue between the Bishop of Rome and three young people from Mexico, Italy, and the United States. During this exchange in three languages — Spanish, Italian, and English — the Pope improvised several times, notably to remember two young women who "chose to come to Rome for the Jubilee of Youth, and death took them in these days."
Maria, a 20-year-old Spanish woman with terminal cancer, died July 30; and Pascale, an 18-year-old Egyptian woman suffering from heart problems, lost her life to a heart attack just last night. This morning, the Pontiff received at the Vatican her pilgrimage group of young Egyptians.
During the vigil, Leo XIV also called for prayers "for another friend, a young Spanish boy, Ignacio Gonzales, who was hospitalized at the Bambino Gesù."
Stay with us!
The Holy Father took a question from three pilgrims: young women from Mexico and Italy, and a young man from the United States.
His responses focused on seeking the truth with passion, making good decisions, formation of conscience, and finding true friendship with Jesus (the full text is here). He quoted his immediate predecessors, including John Paul II, Benedict, and Francis.
"At every step as we seek what is good, let us ask him, Stay with us Lord. Stay with us because without you, we cannot do the good that we desire. You want our good, indeed Lord, you are our good," he said.
Every culture, like a dictionary, has both noble and vulgar words, values and errors, which we have to learn to recognize. Passionately seeking the truth, we don't just receive a culture, but we transform it, through our life choices.
And, "Friendship can change the world; friendship is a path to peace!"
Adoration
The vigil continued with Eucharistic adoration animated by songs and meditative readings, which resonated through loudspeakers on the illuminated plain, as the hundreds of thousands of young people plunged into profound silence, turned with their Shepherd toward the shining white Host on the high altar.
Leo XIV, kneeling like many of the young people in the assembly, remained in prayer for nearly three quarters of an hour.
Rest a little
Energetic cheers resumed as soon as the liturgy ended, prompting more smiles from the Pope.
"Rest a little, and see you tomorrow for Mass," he advised them before leaving to return to the Vatican.
The young people are to sleep at the campground tonight, and Leo XIV will join them again tomorrow morning for the closing Mass at 9 am.
