Pope welcomes young people to Rome for jubilee, thanks media for promoting truth

July 28, 2025 at 1:22 p.m.
Visitors gather in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican for the Angelus with Pope Leo XIV July 27, 2025. (CNS photo/Vatican Media).
Visitors gather in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican for the Angelus with Pope Leo XIV July 27, 2025. (CNS photo/Vatican Media). (Vatican Media)

By Carol Glatz, Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY CNS – Greeting tens of thousands of visitors crowded in St. Peter's Square, Pope Leo XIV welcomed all the young people who arrived in Rome for the Jubilee of Youth.

"I greet with particular affection the young people from various countries who have gathered in Rome for the Jubilee of Youth, which begins tomorrow," he said after reciting the Angelus July 27.

The U.S. Pope gave the same greeting in Italian, English and Spanish, eliciting huge cheers from the young people from each language group.

"I hope that this will be an opportunity for each of you to encounter Christ, and to be strengthened by him in your faith and in your commitment to following Christ with integrity of life," he told them in the different languages.

The Jubilee of Youth runs from July 28 to Aug. 3. While half a million people were expected to be in Rome for the start of the weeklong celebration, 1 million people were expected to attend the outdoor closing prayer vigil and Mass in Rome's Tor Vergata neighborhood.

Pope Leo also greeted journalists from Vatican Radio, Vatican News and the Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, who were working in a small, newly inaugurated news station under the colonnade in the square "to be closer to the faithful and pilgrims during the Jubilee Year."

He thanked the Vatican's news outlets for their service in more than 55 languages to bring "the Pope's voice to the world."

"And thank you to all journalists who contribute to the communication of peace and truth," he said to applause.

The Pope also reminded Catholics that the day marked the fifth World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, dedicated to the theme, "Blessed are those who have not lost hope."

"Let us not leave them alone, but instead, form a bond of love and prayer with them," he said. "Let us look to grandparents and the elderly as witnesses of hope, capable of showing the path for new generations."

Before the Angelus, the Pope reflected on the Lord's Prayer, which reminds us that "the Lord always listens to us when we pray to him."

"If he sometimes responds in ways or at times that are difficult to understand, it is because he acts with wisdom and providence, which are beyond our understanding," he said. "Even in these moments, then, let us not cease to pray – and pray with confidence – for in him we will always find light and strength."

He urged the faithful, "through prayer and charity, to feel loved and to love as God loves us: with openness, discretion, mutual concern and without deceit.

Please consider supporting this work by signing up for a SUBSCRIPTION (click HERE) or making a DONATION to The Monitor (click HERE). Thank you for your support.


VATICAN CITY CNS – Greeting tens of thousands of visitors crowded in St. Peter's Square, Pope Leo XIV welcomed all the young people who arrived in Rome for the Jubilee of Youth.

"I greet with particular affection the young people from various countries who have gathered in Rome for the Jubilee of Youth, which begins tomorrow," he said after reciting the Angelus July 27.

The U.S. Pope gave the same greeting in Italian, English and Spanish, eliciting huge cheers from the young people from each language group.

"I hope that this will be an opportunity for each of you to encounter Christ, and to be strengthened by him in your faith and in your commitment to following Christ with integrity of life," he told them in the different languages.

The Jubilee of Youth runs from July 28 to Aug. 3. While half a million people were expected to be in Rome for the start of the weeklong celebration, 1 million people were expected to attend the outdoor closing prayer vigil and Mass in Rome's Tor Vergata neighborhood.

Pope Leo also greeted journalists from Vatican Radio, Vatican News and the Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, who were working in a small, newly inaugurated news station under the colonnade in the square "to be closer to the faithful and pilgrims during the Jubilee Year."

He thanked the Vatican's news outlets for their service in more than 55 languages to bring "the Pope's voice to the world."

"And thank you to all journalists who contribute to the communication of peace and truth," he said to applause.

The Pope also reminded Catholics that the day marked the fifth World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, dedicated to the theme, "Blessed are those who have not lost hope."

"Let us not leave them alone, but instead, form a bond of love and prayer with them," he said. "Let us look to grandparents and the elderly as witnesses of hope, capable of showing the path for new generations."

Before the Angelus, the Pope reflected on the Lord's Prayer, which reminds us that "the Lord always listens to us when we pray to him."

"If he sometimes responds in ways or at times that are difficult to understand, it is because he acts with wisdom and providence, which are beyond our understanding," he said. "Even in these moments, then, let us not cease to pray – and pray with confidence – for in him we will always find light and strength."

He urged the faithful, "through prayer and charity, to feel loved and to love as God loves us: with openness, discretion, mutual concern and without deceit.

Please consider supporting this work by signing up for a SUBSCRIPTION (click HERE) or making a DONATION to The Monitor (click HERE). Thank you for your support.

Have a news tip? Email [email protected] or Call/Text 360-922-3092

e-Edition


e-edition

Sign up


for our email newsletters

Weekly Top Stories

Sign up to get our top stories delivered to your inbox every Sunday

Daily Updates & Breaking News Alerts

Sign up to get our daily updates and breaking news alerts delivered to your inbox daily

Latest Stories


Vatican II wrapped 60 years ago. Here are the council's highlights
The Second Vatican Council, which after three years of dialogue and document ...

Holy See at UN calls for end to Russia's war in Ukraine 'right now'
The Holy See's diplomatic mission to the United Nations called for an end to Russia's war...

Military archbishop urges respect for rule of law after follow-up strike on alleged drug boat
he head of the U.S. military archdiocese on Dec. 3 urged respect...

Papal commission votes against ordaining women deacons
A commission set up by Pope Francis to study women...

Churches, temples become emergency camps in cyclone-hit Sri Lanka
Churches and temples in Sri Lanka have been turned into emergency...


The Evangelist, 40 North Main Ave., Albany, NY, 12203-1422 | PHONE: 518-453-6688| FAX: 518-453-8448
© 2025 Trenton Monitor, All Rights Reserved.