Pope Leo XIV Tells Youth “Reconciliation is today a call that comes from all humanity afflicted by conflict and violence...become - artisans of peace" FULL TEXT to Taizé

Pope Leo XIV offered written greetings to the European Youth Meeting organized by the Taizé Community in Paris and the Île-de-France region from 28 December 2025 to 1 January 2026. The words, sent by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Holy See's Secretary of State, was featured among messages offered by other religious leaders from around the world as the Taizé participants build on the “Pilgrimage of Trust on Earth” that Brother Roger, founder of Taizé, began almost half a century ago in Paris. At the invitation of local churches of various denominations, thousands of young people from all over Europe will gather in prayer and sharing in a spirit of celebration and friendship for the meetings. More than 100 thematic workshops are scheduled in Paris alone with over 170 experts to speak on a wide variety of topics.
FULL TEXT MESSAGE FROM POPE LEO XIV SIGNED BY THE CARDINAL SECRETARY OF STATE, ON THE OCCASION OF THE 48TH EUROPEAN YOUTH MEETING
ORGANIZED BY THE TAIZÉ COMMUNITY IN PARIS
[December 28, 2025 – January 1, 2026]
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Dear young people ,

On the occasion of the European Meeting organized by the Taizé Community, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV asked me to convey his cordial greetings and the assurance of his spiritual closeness. Your gathering constitutes a new stage in the "Pilgrimage of Trust on Earth" initiated by Brother Roger almost half a century ago in this very city of Paris. The Holy Father rejoices to know you are gathered in a city marked by a rich religious heritage, shaped over the centuries by the luminous witness of so many figures of holiness who, each in their own way, boldly responded to the call of Christ.

The theme of this year's Letter, written by Brother Matthew, Prior of Taizé, "What are you looking for?", addresses an essential question that dwells in the heart of every human being. The Holy Father invites you not to fear this question, but to bear it in prayer and silence, convinced that Christ walks beside you and allows himself to be found by those who seek him with a sincere heart.

At the end of this year, marked by so many trials for our human family, the generous hospitality you are receiving in Paris from believers of all backgrounds and people of goodwill is a powerful message to the world. May the moments of prayer and sharing you will experience these days help you to deepen your faith, discerning ever more clearly how to live the Gospel in the concrete realities of your lives.

This meeting also takes place within a particular ecclesial moment, marked by the close of a Jubilee Year and the commemorations of the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea. As Pope Leo XIV recently recalled during the ecumenical prayer meeting in Iznik, “Reconciliation is today a call that comes from all humanity afflicted by conflict and violence. The desire for full communion among all believers in Jesus Christ is always accompanied by the search for fraternity among all human beings.” The Holy Father encourages you to become pilgrims of trust, artisans of peace and reconciliation, capable of bringing a humble and joyful hope to those around you. Entrusting you, as well as the Taizé Community and its ecumenical mission, to the intercession of the Virgin Mary, he wholeheartedly imparts to you the Apostolic Blessing.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State