This day was the highlight of the entire Pilgrimage of Hope. The FI Youth lived with intensity the Mass with the Pope at the Youth Jubilee, celebrated in Tor Vergata, where more than one million pilgrims from 146 countries gathered to pray, share faith and celebrate hope. The day began with the night vigil and culminated with the Eucharist presided over by Pope Leo XIV, the most multitudinous act of his still brief pontificate.
Vigil, feast and meeting
The night prepared the heart for the celebration of the Eucharist, they lived an intense vigil: they sang, danced creatively, shared stories and laughed together. Some came as close as possible to the stage, walking among hundreds of thousands of young people, sharing hope and communion.
While they slept in the grounds of Tor Vergata, during the early hours of the morning, rain fell and drenched the camp, but the spirit did not stop. In the morning, as they woke up together, a rainbow appeared: “God’s smile that, after the storm tells you: “see you again, companion, this one is over” as Tagoré would say; inviting you to go on with joy and hope.
With this beautiful prelude to the presence of God, they prepared to experience a beautiful Eucharist.
Inspiring messages from the Pope
During the Mass, the Pope spoke with closeness and depth to the hearts of young people. He reminded them that to live without faith is not really to live, but simply to go along, and he encouraged them to seek a life of meaning and fulfillment. He stressed that friendship is a force capable of changing the world, and that it is precisely in friendship that we find the true path to peace. With tenderness, he expressed that in Christ we can say with confidence: “You are my life, Lord”. With a hopeful look, he recognized young people as the sign that another world is possible, and called on everyone to aspire to holiness, building fraternity through dialogue, justice and love that transforms.
You can read the full homily here.
Return and thanksgiving
After the celebration, the group headed back to Badalona. Upon arriving there, they shared a special moment of prayer to express their gratitude for everything they had experienced and to formally close the experience. They recognized that they were sent: seeds of hope, salt and light for the world.
With full hearts, FI Youth will return to their communities, to their daily lives, carrying with them their joy, their shared faith and their commitment to be a light in the midst of the world. They have lived a profound experience that does not end in Rome, but is transformed into concrete gestures wherever they are.
We too, having accompanied them during these 10 days, have been able to glimpse what they have lived, let us allow our hearts to be moved. Let us renew our own hope, let us open ourselves to God’s step in our daily lives and let us join this current of life and hope.
