By all accounts, Pope Francis’ first international trip, to Brazil for the XXVIII World Youth Day was a success.
Hundreds of thousands of young people from across the globe descended on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro to join the Latin American pontiff for a vigil and Mass.
The Holy Father made his apostolic journey to Brazil a pulpit from which he challenged young people to take responsibility for themselves, the people in their care, the world and the Church.
He issued some of his most poignant words at the Way of the Cross, a devotional service that was part of the event.
We believe he said the words that today’s christian youths need to hear:
“Jesus, with his Cross, walks with us and takes upon himself our fears, our problems, and our sufferings, even those which are deepest and most painful. With the Cross, Jesus unites himself to the silence of the victims of violence, those who can no longer cry out, especially the innocent and the defenceless; with the Cross, he is united to families in trouble, those who mourn the loss of their children, or who suffer when they see them fall victim to false paradises, such as that offered by drugs,” the Pope said.
“On the Cross, Jesus is united with every person who suffers from hunger in a world where tons of food are thrown out each day; on the Cross, Jesus is united with those who are persecuted for their religion, for their beliefs or simply for the colour of their skin.”
“On the Cross, Jesus is united with so many young people who have lost faith in political institutions, because they see in them only selfishness and corruption.”
“He unites himself with those young people who have lost faith in the Church, or even in God because of the counter-witness of Christians and ministers of the Gospel. The Cross of Christ bears the suffering and the sin of mankind, including our own,” Pope Francis said.
He invited young people to step up and be a force for positive change in society.
“But the Cross of Christ invites us also to allow ourselves to be smitten by his love, teaching us to always look upon others with mercy and tenderness, especially those who suffer, who are in need of help, who need a word or a concrete action which requires us to step outside ourselves to meet them and to extend a hand to them,” Pope Francis said.
We hope Christian, government and other leaders in the Philippines double their efforts to shepherd young people to be responsible members of society.
This can begin in moves to educate voters for the coming youth council elections. Elders should refrain from starting people young on corruption and leave them with examples of selfless servanthood.