Pope to children: True friendships share hope and pain

By Kielce Gussie

Hope was the central theme of Pope Francis’ message to the young patients receiving treatment at the Oncology and Pediatric Hematology Clinic in Wrocław, Poland.

Greeting them in the Vatican, the Pope spoke in light of the Jubilee of 2025, calling it a “year in which God wants to grant us special graces.”

Give hope to one another

“We have the opportunity to give each other hope and love,” Pope Francis challenged the group.

He explained one of the reasons he felt joy ahead of the meeting was that children and young people are, for him, “signs of hope.” This is because Jesus is present in each of them, and, the Pope said, “where He is, there is hope that never disappoints.”

Pope Francis receives a handmade painting from a child

Through our own sufferings, we can unite ourselves to Jesus, who suffered willingly for us on the cross. Pope Francis called this “a test of friendship” because people are truly friends when “the joy of the other is also my joy, and the pain of the other is also my pain.”

Friends of Jesus

The Pope reminded the children and young people that another sign of Jesus’ love for them can be seen in the people around them.

"The love and constant presence of your parents, the kind and tender smiles of the doctors, nurses, and physiotherapists who care for you and work to improve your health”—all with the goal of helping these children live their hopes and dreams.

Pope Francis stressed that he shares Jesus’ perspective: calling the group his friends. He offered them a challenge to serve the Church by offering their prayers and sufferings for the Pope.

Continuing, he asked them to join him in praying for the "children—unfortunately, many of them—who do not have the possibility to receive care.”