Pope Leo’s address to a meeting with the young people of the Diocese of Rome
Paul VI Audience Hall – Saturday, 10 January 2026
” We are never alone, because Jesus is with us!”
Address of the Holy Father
Dear young people,
I am very happy to be with you and have this opportunity to share a bit of my search and desire to answer not only the questions we just heard, but also the many questions life brings.
Just before coming tonight, I received a message from a young niece of mine who said: “Uncle, how do you cope with so many problems and worries in the world?” Don’t you feel alone? How do you keep everything going?” The answer, to a large extent, is you! Because we are not alone!
Later I will tell you a little about what it means to be together and live this spirit, this enthusiasm, above all this faith even in difficult moments, when we feel alone, when we do not know how to do it.
If we remember the beauty of faith, the beauty of joy, of being young, of being together, of seeking together, we can truly know in our hearts that we are never alone, because Jesus is with us!
And I would also like to say a word about which Cardinal Baldo has already told us.
This sadness and pain that we have all experienced for those 40 young people from Crans-Montana who lost their lives, at the Swiss ski bar, is truly great.
We too must remember that life is so precious, that we can never forget those who suffer. Unfortunately, those families, still in pain, must now look for how to overcome that pain.
This is also why our prayer, our unity, is important: let us always be united, as friends, as brothers and sisters! . . .
Now, in this appointment with the Pope to renew the spirit and committing yourselves not only to be pilgrims of hope, but witnesses of it.
In response to words about loneliness and accompanying feelings of disappointment, boredom and bewilderment, experienced by many young people, I would like to offer an answer.
When this grayness clouds the colors of life, we see that we can be isolated even in the midst of many people.
Indeed, just like this, loneliness can show its worst face:
one is not listened to, because one is immersed in the din of opinions;
You don’t look at anything, because you are dazzled by fragmentary images.
A life of links without relationship or likes without affection disappoints us, because we are made for the truth: when it is lacking, we suffer. We are made for good, but disposable pleasure masks betray our desire.
Yet, during moments of discouragement, we can hone our sensitivity.
If we listen and open our eyes, we see that creation reminds us that we are not alone.
The world is made up of bonds between all things and the elements and living beings.
However, no matter how much we breathe the air, eat food, or drink water, we remain breathless.
Nature’s abundance is not enough for us because we are more than what we eat, drink, and breathe. We are unique creatures because we carry within us the image of God—a relationship of life, love, and salvation.
When you feel lonely, remember that God is always with you.
His presence gives you the strength to reach out to others who are alone, even though he is right next to you. Everyone is alone if they look only at themselves.
Instead, drawing close to your neighbor allows you to become an image of God to others.
Just as God brings hope into your life, you can share that hope with others.
Together, you will find yourselves as seekers of communion and fraternity.
I would also like to emphasize how beautiful the welcome was that the Church of Rome offered to the many young people who came from all over the world during the Jubilee. It was wonderful!
But many times loneliness exists and many suffer.
Salvatore Quasimodo observed solitude and wrote these famous verses:
“Everyone stands alone on the heart of the earth,
pierced by a ray of sunshine.
And it is immediately evening.”
What seems to be an inescapable destiny actually calls us to awaken.
One earth sustains all human beings, and the same sun illuminates everything.
The ray that enters the clefts of our souls is not an intermittent light that rises and sets; it is the Sun of justice, Christ himself! He warms our hearts and inflames them with his love.
The strength to change our lives and transform society comes from our encounter with Jesus.
As Francesca and Michela noted, the light of the Gospel illuminates our relationships. Through daily words and gestures, it expands and involves everyone in its warmth.
Then, a gray, anonymous world becomes a hospitable place on a human scale because it is inhabited by God.
I am happy that you experience authentic relationships in your environments: what you experience in Roman parishes, in the oratory, and in associations is not something you can keep to yourselves!
Don’t expect the world to welcome you with open arms. Advertising, which sells consumption, has a larger audience than testimony, which builds sincere friendships.
Act with joy and tenacity, knowing that we must first change ourselves to change society.
You have already shown me that you are capable of changing and building these friendships.
You asked me what I want for you. In my prayers, I ask God to grant each of you a good and true life. In short, I hope for everyone a holy life.
You know that the word “holy” has the same root as the word “healthy,” and if we want to be holy, we must start by living healthy lives.
We must help one another avoid things like addictions, which affect so many young people.
True friends are those who accompany you and can offer you a healthy life because we are all saints. This also depends on you. Don’t be afraid to accept this responsibility.
I desire nothing less because I love you.
In fact, he who lives with God, the author and savior of life, truly lives.
This is how we can all be saints in this life!
The Lord makes life good not by teaching abstract ideals, but by giving his life for us
(John 10:10 – The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.). Faced with the challenges of his time, another poet fascinated by this gift, Clemente Rebora, exclaimed: “Here is the certain hope: the Cross. / I have found the One who first loved me / And loves me and washes me, in the Blood that is fire, / Jesus, the All-good, the infinite Love, / The Love that gives Love, / The Love that lives well inside the heart”.
The ray of light that pierces us can be seen and felt! It is true love because it is faithful and selfless.
It knows our heart and frees it from fear.
Peace is the fruit that God’s love cultivates in us.
By experiencing it, we can share it with those who don’t feel loved, the little ones who need the most attention, and those who expect a gesture of forgiveness from us.
Dear young people, may your commitment to society, politics, family, schools, and the church begin in your hearts and bear fruit.
Start with God, and you will be holy.
I would like to remind you of what I said to you at the Great Vigil of your Jubilee: “Friendship with Christ, the foundation of faith, is not just one means of many in building the future; it is our North Star.” When our friendships reflect this intense bond with Jesus, they become sincere, generous, and true.
So, yes, ‘friendship can truly change the world,’ becoming ‘the road to peace’ (Veglia, Tor Vergata, August 2, 2025).
This desire of mine aligns with Francis’s words, in which he juxtaposed two seemingly opposite expressions to describe the disappointment and sense of slavery you sometimes feel.
He said, “We’re lost,” and “We’re full.” This describes the situation of those who have a lot but not the essentials. Yes, a heart full of distractions cannot find the way. However, those who want to change will begin to free themselves from what blocks them.
Dissatisfaction is an echo of the truth and should not frighten you because it reveals the emptiness that clutters life and reduces it to a means to an end.
How can you “break these chains” in a concrete way? First, pray.
For Christians, this is the most concrete act for the good of themselves, those around them, and the whole world.
Prayer is an act of freedom that breaks the chains of boredom, pride, and indifference.
To set the world on fire, you need a fiery heart!
God kindles this fire when we pray, especially when we receive and adore it in the Eucharist, encounter it in the Gospel, and sing it in the Psalms.
Thus, God makes us capable of being the light of the world and the salt of the earth.
Consider the song of the greatest poetess, Mary Most Holy.
She sang: “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior” (Luke 1:46–47).
It takes courage to bear witness to this joy today. It takes ardor to love as the Lord has loved us. Yet, it is precisely this that makes us “stop temporizing and really live,” as you said.
It’s not about making superhuman efforts or doing charity work occasionally; it’s about living as people with Christ in their hearts, listening to him as a teacher and following him as a pastor.
Let us look at the saints and see how free they are.
Together with them, let us continue our journey knowing that true goodness cannot be bought with money or conquered with weapons. It can only be given because God gives it to everyone with love.
Thank you all for coming! Thank you very much!
Thank you for loving this Church of ours in Rome with me!
The Church of Rome is alive!
Now, I bless you all, your loved ones, and your friends. Thank you!
