Pope Francis has been engaged in addressing many international issues, calling for peace and love, and affirming his support for every human being on earth. However, amidst all the urgent developments the world is experiencing, he did not forget the youth who are also struggling with life’s challenges. Throughout his Papacy, he carried their concerns and anxieties, and was their father, guide, and closest friend to God.
“Learn to listen to others,” this is what Pope Francis asked young people in a video message he recorded a month before his hospitalization. He reminded them of the importance of listening to others and emphasized listening to grandparents, who teach us so much.
Amidst the great noise surrounding youth today and their endless daily pressures, the Holy Father wanted to emphasize the need to slow down and listen. He said in his message, “Dear boys and girls, one of the most important things in life is to listen—to learn how to listen,” said the late Pope. “When someone speaks to you, wait for them to finish so you can really understand, and then, if you feel like it, respond. But the important thing is to listen.”
Pope Francis mentioned that “many people are unable to truly listen to other people, since they are already formulating their response as the other person speaks.” He pointed out that people do not listen, “halfway through an explanation, they’ll answer, and that doesn’t help peace. Listen—listen a lot.”
According to the Vatican website, His Holiness’s message came in a video recorded on January 8 at Casa Santa Marta. He addressed the young people participating in the “Listening Workshops,” an initiative launched by Luca Drusian in Italy aiming at discussing various topics to explore listening to others.
The video was first released on Sunday a day after the Pope Francis’ Requiem Mass, by the Italian Weekly Magazine Oggi (“Today”).
The young people, who have long awaited His Holiness’s guidance and directives, from which they draw all hope and consolation, today offer their Prayers for the repose of the soul of the Pope of peace and humility. Thousands of youth from Italy and around the world also flocked to St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican to participate in the funeral of the Supreme Pontiff.
Their presence at the funeral ceremony was remarkable, spreading an atmosphere of hope amidst the participation of numerous official and Church delegations representing countries of the world, as well as large crowds of believers. Speaking to Vatican News, some young people expressed their confidence that the late Pope would remain by their side, in one way or another, emphasizing that he knew how to bring younger generations closer to the Church.
At the Vatican’s Mass on Divine Mercy Sunday which was on suffrage to Pope Francis, Cardinal Pietro Parolin called on young people to embrace the late Pope’s teachings on mercy, so that they could discover the path to peace in their personal relationships and for the entire world.
His Holiness embraced the virtue of mercy until his very last breath, defending the oppressed, marginalized, and neediest people. He was an example to all youth movements and groups that seek to heal the wounds of the most vulnerable, hoping that world leaders might also take His Holiness as an example in every step they make.
But unfortunately, the world continues to bleed, and humanity remains in danger!
