Pope to Medjugorje Youth Gathering: ‘No-one Walks Alone’
Pope Leo tells young people gathered for the 36th International Youth Festival in Medjugorje to "walk together, support each other, and inspire one another". By Augustine Asta
Pope Leo XIV has urged young people to follow the example of the Virgin Mary by seeking genuine human connection, in a message to the thousands of pilgrims gathered for the 36th International Youth Festival in Medjugorje.
The Youth Festival, held at the Marian shrine in Medjugorje, Bosnia and Herzegovina, runs this year from August 4 to 8 and draws young people from across the globe.
Pope Leo said that the theme for this year’s edition—“We will go to the house of the Lord” (Psalm 122:1)—resonated deeply with him.
He described it as “evocative of a journey, of a longing that moves us toward God, toward His dwelling place, where we can truly feel at home—because it is there that His love awaits us.”
Jesus, the Only True Way
“How can we walk toward the house of the Lord without losing our way?” the Pope asked. In answer, he cited Jesus’ own words: “I am the way” (John 14:6).
“It is Christ Himself who accompanies us, guides us, and strengthens us along the road,” he said. “His Spirit opens our eyes and helps us see what we could never understand on our own.”
On the road of life, Pope Leo emphasized, “no one walks alone.” Our paths are always intertwined with those of others. “We are made for encounter, for walking together, and for discovering a shared goal,” he said.
Drawing on a reflection by St. Augustine, the Pope emphasized that the house of the Lord is not a distant goal, but rather the joy of a journey shared—as a pilgrim people: "Let us go, let us go!"—they say to one another. And in so doing, “they ignite one another and become a single flame. That one flame, born of those who share the fire within them, lights the path ahead.”
“No one walks alone,” Pope Leo repeated. “We encourage each other. We ignite each other. The flames of our hearts unite to become one great fire that lights the way forward. You too, dear young people, are not solitary pilgrims. This path toward the Lord is one we walk together. That is the beauty of a faith lived out in the Church.”
In the Image of the Virgin Mary
Through these daily encounters, said the Pope, “we can walk together on our pilgrimage to the house of the Lord.” But in a world that is increasingly globalized and shaped by artificial intelligence and digital technology, Pope Leo issued a strong reminder:
“Remember: no algorithm will ever replace an embrace, a look, a real encounter—not with God, not with our friends, not with our families.”
“Think of Mary,” he urged.
Mary, the Pope recalled, also set out on a difficult journey to visit her cousin Elizabeth. It wasn’t easy, he noted, “but she went—and that meeting brought joy. John the Baptist leapt in his mother’s womb, recognizing in Mary the living presence of the Lord.”
Following Mary’s example, the Pope encouraged young people to seek authentic connection:
“Rejoice together, and don’t be afraid to weep with those who weep.”
The Language of Faith and Love
In a world marked by cultural and linguistic diversity, Pope Leo called the youth to courage. Because, he said, “there is a language stronger than any barrier: the language of faith, nourished by the love of God.”
He reminded the festival’s participants that they are “all members of His Body, the Church.” Hence his invitation:
“Meet each other, get to know one another, share. It is only in walking together, supporting each other, and inspiring one another that we will reach the house of the Lord.”
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From Sunset to Daybreak: Friendship Can Change The World
Andrea Monda, the Director of L'Osservatore Romano, reflects on the message of Pope Leo XIV at the Prayer Vigil for the Jubilee of Youth. By Andrea Monda
Over a million young people filled the vast expanse of Tor Vergata to spend an evening with Pope Leo XIV during the Jubilee Vigil for Youth and to take part in the Mass celebrated by the Holy Father on Sunday morning, 3 August. One is reminded of that sharp, direct question posed by Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew when, speaking of John the Baptist, he asks his disciples: “What did you go out into the wilderness to behold? A reed shaken by the wind? Why then did you go out?” (Mt 11:7).
The young people responded in many ways — by flooding the streets, squares, public spaces, and transport of the Eternal City with their joyful, exuberant energy. Their presence brought a kind of cheerful “commotion” (to borrow a word used by both Pope John Paul II and Pope Francis) that will linger in the memory of the people of Rome for a long time.
But they also responded at the vigil itself, asking questions — almost as if turning Jesus’s own question back toward His Vicar on earth. They asked questions of meaning, of purpose. And the Pope answered. He embraced them, accompanied them, and did not leave them alone — reminding them of something Pope Benedict XVI loved to say: “Those who believe are never alone.”
Religion, at its heart, is about relationship. This was one of the central themes of Saturday evening’s dialogue — a conversation held at dusk, reminiscent of that evening in Emmaus, when the day was already far spent. And from that perspective, perhaps the most fitting “commentary” on this powerful moment in the life of the Church on the outskirts of Rome can be found in the lines of David Maria Turoldo’s poem, Emmaus:
While The Sun Is Already Setting,
you are still the traveler who explains the Scriptures and offers us comfort with the bread silently broken. Still enlighten our hearts and minds so that they may always see your face and understand how your love reaches us and urges us out into deeper waters.
Tor Vergata as Emmaus. From dusk til dawn — from the descending darkness to a new light, rich with hope. Pope Leo made this clear in his Sunday morning homily, emphasizing the inner transformation of the two disciples — from fear and disillusionment to joy, sparked by the surprise of an encounter that was both unexpected and un-hoped for. A face-to-face encounter.
That immense crowd of young people went to Tor Vergata to see a face. And in doing so, to be touched by love. Not “to do” something, but “to be”. Not to do. To be, also in silence. Not to speak, but perhaps to sing. To sit together in silence; and to sing — together. Not alone. To live relationships as protagonists, recognizing that everything is relationship. Pope Leo expressed this clearly in response to the questions the young people posed to him:
“...[A]ll men and women in the world are born as someone’s children. Our life begins with a bond, and it is through relationships that we grow. [...] By passionately searching for the truth, we do not merely receive a culture, but also transform it through the choices we make. Truth, in fact, is a bond that connects words to things and names to faces. Lies, on the other hand, divide these elements and lead to confusion and misunderstanding.”
— [Pope Leo XIV, Youth Vigil Address]
Truth, then, is also a bond — a relationship. Yet it is a relationship that today is under great pressure in our age of nihilism (from nihil, that is nehilum, literally “no thread,” no bond).
Truth can never be separated from love, which is the ultimate relationship. When someone says they are “in a relationship,” what they mean is that they love someone.
And once again, love is not about “doing” something, but about “being” with someone. There is nothing more beautiful — especially for young people — than simply being with others: with the one they love, with their friends.
When we are together, time itself seems to vanish — its chains are broken. Kronos becomes kairos: a time full of promise and meaning, of overflowing joy. A time where purpose reclaims the ground lost to the constant busyness of daily life.
The free, unearned experience of simply being together is already a foretaste of heaven.
That’s why Pope Leo, quoting his beloved Augustine, focused on the theme of friendship — a reality at the very heart of young people’s lives. He reminded them that the great African saint also “...had a restless youth, but he did not settle for less, he did not silence the cry of his heart. Augustine sought the truth, the truth that does not disappoint and the beauty that does not fade. And how did he find it? How did he find true friendship and a love capable of giving hope? By finding the one who was already looking for him, by finding Jesus Christ. How did he build his future? By following the one who had always been his friend” (Pope Leo XIV, Youth Vigil Address)
And he concluded with words full of hope: “Friendship can truly change the world. Friendship is a path to peace.”
That is the kind of love that reaches us and pushes us out into deeper waters.
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Pope Leo to SECAM: May Your Work 'Foster An Intense Experience of The Love of God'
Pope Leo XIV sends a message to the 20th Plenary Assembly of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), praying their deliberations on the theme of 'Christ, Source of Hope, Reconciliation and Peace' will highlight "the importance of fostering an intense experience of the love of God that awakens in hearts the sure hope of salvation in Christ..." By Deborah Castellano Lubov
"The Holy Father is confident that your local Churches will remain tangible signs of hope for all people..."
Pope Leo XIV expressed this in the message sent to the President of SECAM, Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, Archbishop of Kinshasa, and to the participants in the 20th Plenary Assembly of the Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), taking place in Kigali (Rwanda) from July 30 to August 4, on the theme: 'Christ, source of hope, reconciliation and peace.'"
The English telegram sending the Pope's "cordial greetings" was sent on the Pope's behalf by Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin.
In the text, it noted that Pope Leo "prays that your deliberations on the theme of 'Christ, Source of Hope, Reconciliation and Peace' will highlight the importance of fostering an intense experience of the love of God that awakens in hearts the sure hope of salvation in Christ, inspiring you to promote unity, particularly in those parts of society fractured by division and polarization."
"In this way," it noted, "the Holy Father is confident that your local Churches will remain tangible signs of hope for all people."
Pope Leo: We are with the young people of Gaza, Ukraine and war-torn lands At the conclusion of the closing Mass for the Jubilee of Youth, Pope Leo remembers young people suffering "the most serious evils" caused by other human beings, mentioning specifically war-torn Gaza, Ukraine, and "every land bloodied by war." Vatican News
Just before the conclusion of the closing Mass for the Jubilee of Young People at Rome's Tor Vergata field, Pope Leo expressed his closeness and solidarity with the young people suffering in Gaza, Ukraine and all those living in war-torn parts of the world.
“In communion with Christ, our peace and hope for the world, we are closer than ever to young people who suffer the most serious evils which are caused by other human beings. We are with the young people of Gaza. We are with the young people of Ukraine, with those of every land bloodied by war. My young brothers and sisters, you are the sign that a different world is possible, a world of fraternity and friendship, where conflicts are not resolved with weapons but with dialogue.”
Sympathies for Maria and Pascale The Pope also expressed his sympathies and condolences over the death of two young pilgrims, Maria and Pascale, a Spaniard and Egyptian, who died during their time in Rome due to sudden health emergencies.
We give thanks to God The Pope's words came just before leading the Angelus prayer as he offered final greetings to the over one million pilgrims gathered for the Sunday morning outdoor Mass.
He took the opportunity to invite everyone to express their immense gratitude to God for the gift of these days of their Jubilee.
He said the outpouring of God's grace for the Church and the entire world was reflected in the participation of all the young people, and he thanked them with all his heart. Greeting the thousands of bishops, priests, religious and pastoral leaders accompanying the young people, the Pope thanked them for their pastoral care, as well as all those who offered their prayers for the events and participated spiritually.
World Youth Day 2027 in Seoul, Korea Finally, the Pope recalled that following this jubilee "Pilgrimage of Hope" in Rome, the next destination on the horizion will be Asia when the Successor of Peter will join them to celebrate World Youth Day in Seoul, Korea, from 3 to 8 August 2027. The theme of the next WYD is taken from John's Gospel, the verse recalling Jesus' words to his disciples at the Last Supper, “Take courage! I have overcome the world."
The Pope said may the hope that abides in our hearts give us the strength to announce the victory of the Risen Christ over evil and death. And it is this reality that gives the young pilgrims hope and the courage to be witnesses to the ends of the earth. He said may we continue to dream and hope together in view of the next meeting in Seoul, entrusting ourselves to the maternal protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Pope answers questions from pilgrims at Jubilee of Youth An estimated million young people gather in the outskirts of Rome for the Jubilee of Youth prayer vigil. Three of them ask him questions: about friendship, life choices, and encountering Jesus. By Joseph Tulloch
Around a million young pilgrims gathered in Tor Vergata, on the outskirts of Rome, for the Jubilee of Youth on Saturday evening.
As night fell, Pope Leo led the pilgrims in a prayer vigil, feauturing singing, Scripture readings, and Eucharistic Adoration.
The centrepiece of the event was a question-and-answer session in which the Pope responded to three questions posed by young pilgrims in Spanish, Italian, and English.
Pope Leo speaks to Dulce Maria from Mexico, who asked the first question Pope Leo speaks to Dulce Maria from Mexico, who asked the first question (@Vatican Media) Friendship, life choices, and encountering Jesus The first question was asked by Dulce Maria, 23, from Mexico. Given the “fleeting and often illusory” nature of online connections, she asked, how can we “we find true friendship and genuine love that will lead us to true hope”?
In his reply, the Pope stressed that although social media offers an “extraordinary opportunity” for dialogue, it can “be used to lull us, to make us addicted to consumerism”. He stressed that friendships can only be truly lasting if they are founded in God, and, quoting St Augustine, emphasised that “It is the one who loves God in his friend who truly loves his friend.”
The second question came from Gaia, 19, from Italy, She asked about the “climate of uncertainty” which “paralyses” many young people, and prevents them from making important life choices.
In his reply, Pope Leo emphasised that these choices are not “a matter of choosing something, but of choosing someone.” When we make a choice, the Pope said, we decide “who we want to become”.
The final question was posed in English, by Will, 20 years old and from the US. How can we “truly encounter” Jesus, he asked, and be sure of his presence “even in the midst of trials and uncertainties?”
In his response, Pope Leo urged the young pilgrims to “reflect on your way of living”, “seek justice”, “serve the poor”, and “adore Christ in the Blessed Sacrament”.
Prayers for Maria and Pascale In his answers to the pilgrims’ questions, Pope Leo also mentioned the two young women – Maria, 20, from Spain, and Pascale, 18, from Egypt – who have died while taking part in Jubilee of Youth events in recent days.
“Let us pray together for them, pilgrims of hope,” said the Pope. “Let us pray for their families, their friends and their communities. May the Risen Jesus welcome them into the peace and joy of his Kingdom.”
The vigil then came to an end with roughly an hour of Eucharistic adoration, accompanied by chanting and prayers in French, English, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, German, Polish and Latin.
