Pope Leo XIV, in a message for this year’s 41st World Youth Day (WYD), encouraged young people to be courageous in an age of loneliness.
“Some of you know what it means to experience loneliness, disappointment, or the fear of not being good enough,” Leo said in his message. “It is in circumstances like these that we hear the Gospel’s invitation to take courage.”
The Vatican released his message on Tuesday ahead of WYD 2026, to be celebrated locally on Nov. 22, coinciding with the solemnity of Christ the King. The Vatican also published the message ahead of WYD 2027 in Seoul, South Korea, which the pope is expected to attend.
In his message, Leo noted the modern challenges young people face, including anxiety, self-doubt, and the difficulty of maintaining a personal identity in an age of social media.
“Under the influence of carefully curated images on social media, you may find it difficult to recognize and accept who you truly are,” the pope said.
“Perhaps you are anxious about the future, feel pressured to succeed and appear perfect, or experience the stress of constantly comparing yourselves with others or with unattainable, manufactured ideals.”
Leo then explained the need for young people to be vulnerable and to depend on Christ when lonely, citing the apostles’ fear when the risen Christ appeared to them.
“Faith does not immediately dispel the darkness, but neither does it leave us alone in it,” Leo explained. “Open your lives to Christ. Open your communities to Christ.”
“Allow yourselves to be united and transformed by his love.”
As he did in a video message for WYD 2027 in October, the pope also encouraged people to register for the event in Seoul, which will run from Aug. 3–8, 2027.