Pope to young Italians: ‘Don’t retire from life, keep dreaming!’

By Lisa Zengarini

“Don’t retire from life and don’t let anyone steal your hope, because hope never ever disappoints!" Pope Francis offered this impassioned encouragement on Saturday as he addressed a delegation of the Italian Youth Council, a consultative body representing young people in dialogue with public institutions.

Welcoming  the group in the Consistory Hall on the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of the Council’s foundation, the Pope focused on hope, which is the central theme of the 2025 Jubilee Year, as a vital attitude for young people and a driver of engagement and social change.

According to  a recent survey hope is the inner attitude with which young Italians identify most today. Taking his cue from these findings, Pope Francis remarked  that Italian youth can be “artisans of hope” because, he said,  they are “capable of dreaming” as opposed to many "disheartened people who look to the future with skepticism and pessimism."

Network and make "noise" for the voiceless

He  encouraged the Council to promote the active participation of young people in societal issues by ‘networking’ among the many associations inspired by values of  solidarity and inclusion, and to make, “noise” to give voice to the voiceless and the excluded in society.

The Pope acknowledged that it's a difficult endeavour,  given the many challenges facing young people today, including unemployment, family issues, education, environmental concerns, and the risks associated with new technologies, all of which have led to a troubling rise in youth violence and suicides among young people

To address these issues Pope Francis once again reiterated his call for an educational alliance “among those willing to place the human person at the center while investing fresh energy in forming those who will serve the community.”

“We need an ‘education village’ where, in diversity, we share the commitment to generate a network of open and human relationships,” he said.

Be witnesses of the beauty and novelty of life

The Pope went on to encourage young people to be "witnesses of the beauty and novelty of life" that lies in love, selfless service, and fostering social solidarity:  “Discovering, showing, and highlighting this beauty means laying the foundations for social solidarity and a culture of encounter,“ he said

Care for children and for the elderly

He again invited young people to engage with both children and the elderly, promoting tenderness and care for these groups often overlooked in modern society where "children are left to grow up on their own without tenderness, and the elderly are sent to nursing homes to die there."

Finally, Pope Francis reminded those present that the fundamental reason for hope is the truth of God’s love for each one of us  and the life-giving encounter with Jesus. It is “encountering a Person,” rather than “an ethical decision or a lofty idea,” that opens up “a new horizon” of Christian life, the Pope explained."

Do not fear

Based on  this certainty, Pope Francis urged young people “not to fear” in the face of the challenges and difficulties they may encounter in life. “Do not be afraid to face even conflicts,” he said, because “conflicts help us grow”, and can be overcome with the help of others and from above, by listening to the others and going beyond our personal interests.

Concluding Pope Francis entrusted the young audience to Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati inviting them to draw inspiration from his courage and joy of witnessing the Gospel.