Pope Francis withy young people, April 18, 2022 (©Massimiliano Migliorato/Catholic Press Photo)

The Pope to young people: "The instinct for truth"

Francis' words to the 80,000 young people he met in St. Peter's Square. Rome, April 18, 2022.

Thank you for being here! This square has been waiting a long time to be filled with your presence, your faces, your enthusiasm. Two years ago, on 27 March, I came here alone to present to the Lord the plea of the world stricken by the pandemic. Perhaps that evening you were also in your homes in front of the television, praying together with your families. Two years have passed with the square empty, and what has happened to the square is what happens to us when we fast: we feel like eating and, when we go to eat after fasting, we eat more; that is why it has filled up more: the square has also suffered from the fast and now it is filled with you! Today, all of you are together, coming from Italy, in the embrace of this square and in the joy of the Easter we have just celebrated.

Jesus has overcome the darkness of death. Unfortunately, the clouds that obscure our time are still thick. In addition to the pandemic, Europe is experiencing a terrible war, while injustices and violence that destroy man and the planet continue in so many regions of the earth. Often it is your peers who pay the highest price: not only is their existence compromised and made insecure, but their dreams for the future are trampled underfoot. So many brothers and sisters are still waiting for the light of Easter [...]

Continue reading on vatican.va