“Christians will be increasingly called to become peacemakers within societies tempted to exploit religion in the opposition of identities.” With these words, Pope Leo XIV addressed the thousands of young people from all over Europe who gathered in Assisi on the final day of the “GO! Franciscan Youth Meeting 2026,” in the year of the eighth centenary of the death of Saint Francis.
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The meeting with the youth
Before celebrating Mass, the Pope answered questions from the young people who had gathered in the square of the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels to meet him.
Leo left the girls and boys present with a reflection on the role of Christians in contemporary society, urging them to “broaden their minds and hearts, beyond fears induced by misinformation and the walls of prejudice.”
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From Saint Francis, he added, “learn evangelical radicality, which is the opposite of fundamentalism: it does not make one blind and violent, but sensitive, attentive, and therefore humble, welcoming towards all.”
“Not to dominate, but to serve”
The Pope also answered a question from a young woman from Zagreb, recalling what “happened in a region of Europe that only thirty years ago experienced war and the dangerous intertwining of religious confession and nationalism.”
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