“A life made up of unrelated links or likes without affection disappoints us, because we are made for truth,” Pope Leo XIV assured thousands of young people from the Diocese of Rome, gathered at the Vatican on January 10, 2026. He encouraged them to engage with a “burning heart” in politics and in the Church, and asked them to have the “strength to take the first step toward those who are alone.”
“To set the world on fire, you need a burning heart!” the Pope said to young people of his diocese.
The Paul VI Hall, with its more than 6,000 seats, was too small on Saturday afternoon to accommodate the young Catholics of the Pope's city, who responded to their diocese's invitation to meet their bishop.
Many of them remained outside, so Leo XIV went out to greet them before the meeting began, thanking them for coming to the Vatican in such large numbers.
In a euphoric atmosphere, the Pontiff shook thousands of hands, allowing himself to be embraced and photographed.
“The Church of Rome is alive!” he exclaimed, encouraging his guests to share their enthusiasm and faith with those around them.
Improvising part of his speech, the Pope shared that he had received a message from his niece just before the meeting, in which she asked him how he managed not to feel alone in the face of the great problems affecting the world.
“'Uncle, how do you cope with so many problems in the world, with so many worries?' And she asked the same question: 'Don't you feel alone? How do you manage to carry on?' And the answer, for the most part, is you! Because we are not alone!"
“We are not alone!” he exclaimed to applause.
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Echoing the introductory remarks of his vicar, Cardinal Baldo Reina, Leo XIV also expressed his sympathy for the young victims of the fire in Crans-Montana, Switzerland. “We remember that life is precious, we cannot forget those who suffer,” he said, assuring them that prayers are important to help the victims' families “overcome their pain.”
“Don't expect the world to welcome you with open arms.”
“To set the world on fire, you need a burning heart!” the Pontiff told the young people, emphasizing the importance of prayer in “breaking the chains” of pessimism and dissatisfaction.
“May your commitment to society and politics, to your family, school, and Church come from the heart, and it will be fruitful. May it come from God, and it will be holy!” he added.
“Don't expect the world to welcome you with open arms,” he warned them.
He emphasized how “advertising, which must sell something to consume, has a larger audience than witness, which aims to build sincere friendships.”
Faced with the “masks of disposable pleasure,” he asked them to live “authentic relationships,” assuring them that their encounter with Jesus would bring “the strength to change their lives and transform society.”
Leo XIV also raised the issue of isolation among young people, emphasizing how “a life made up of links without relationships or likes without affection disappoints us.”
“When you feel alone, remember that God never abandons you,” he said, explaining that the presence of the Lord would help them to have the “strength to take the first step toward those who are alone, yet very close to you.”
