Pope Leo XIV Tells Youth "Do not be afraid to be God's instruments for rekindling hope in the many, many hearts that are suffering"

Pope Leo XIV sent a video message to the young people taking part in Peru's National Youth Day (JNJ) 2026, taking place from 30 July to 2 August in the city of Chulucanas.
VIDEO MESSAGE FROM POPE LEO XIV
TO THE YOUNG PEOPLE OF PERU ON THE OCCASION OF NATIONAL YOUTH DAY
[Chulucanas, July 30 to August 2, 2026 ]
________________
Dear young people:

The long-awaited moment, which you have prepared for with such enthusiasm over the past few months, has arrived: the National Youth Day in Chulucanas. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for responding to this initiative, which renews and strengthens the life of the Church.

The motto that brings them together for this gathering is: "Be courageous, Christ lives." It is precisely the certainty of the Lord's living presence among us that is the inner fire that impels us to be courageous and to leave the comfort of individualism, to become part of a community of brothers and sisters in faith, to forge true bonds of friendship, and thus bear witness that it is possible to live united in Christ.

I invite you to open your hearts wide to receive the gifts the Lord wishes to bestow upon you during these days. And what you experience on this journey, don't keep it to yourselves; don't let it remain only in photos on your phones or videos on social media. Share it, reflect it in your lives, because so many people today need that joyful and contagious witness that a young person in love with Christ can offer. Do not be afraid to be God's instruments for rekindling hope in the many, many hearts that are suffering.

I entrust you to the maternal intercession of Our Lady of Evangelization. May she intercede for you, so that you may be "salt and light" of Christ in this beloved Peruvian land. May God bless you!

And may the blessing of Almighty God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, descend upon you. Amen!
Source: Vatican.va Bulletin