Pope Francis to Youth: "Christ is alive and He wants you to be alive"
In a recent letter to young people, the Pontiff encouraged the rising generation of Catholics to embrace the hope of the resurrection and let it inspire their lives.
On the Monday of Holy Week, Pope Francis released a letter addressed to young Catholics in which he encouraged them that “Christ is alive and He wants you to be alive.”
The Pontiff explained that his motivation for addressing young people is to provide “renewed hope” for the rising generation, noting that there are “many conflicts and so much suffering” in the modern world that can lead to “disheartened” youth. His message comes amid the five year anniversary of the Christus Vivit, the apostolic exhortation published after the Synod of Bishops centered around “Young People, Faith and Vocational Discernment.”
“Christ is alive and He loves you with an infinite love,” Pope Francis wrote in his letter, dated March 25. “Walk with Him as with a friend, welcome Him into your life and let Him share your joys and hopes, the problems and struggles of this time in your lives.”
After reminding Catholic youth that they are loved by God and urging them to find the peace that awaits them when they turn to Him in trial, Pope Francis emphasized the calling of each Catholic to “bear witness before everyone to the joy born of friendship with Christ.”
He added that, when he first became pope in 2013, he told those gathered in Rio de Janeiro for World Youth Day (WYD) to “make your voices heard,” a message he repeated in his recent letter. The Pontiff called on young Catholics to “help the whole Church to get up and set out ever anew to bring His message to the entire world.”
The pope also noted that upcoming anniversary of WYD on April 14, which will mark 40 years since the first annual event started by Pope Saint John Paul II, who “gave [young people] the mission of carrying [the WYD Cross] to the entire world as a sign and reminder that in Jesus alone, crucified and risen, do we find salvation and redemption.”
The letter is not the first of its kind to be released by Pope Francis during his time in Rome. On Nov. 26, 2023, the Pontiff wrote to young people following last year’s WYD pilgrimage to Lisbon, Portugal. In this address, he encouraged Catholic youth to continue pursuing hope and joy in Christ even amid ongoing trials seen across the globe.
These words came three months after his closing homily in Lisbon, during which he told the 1.5 million young people not to let their hope and dreams of spreading the Gospel be “stopped by fear.”