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ROME (AP) — Pope Leo XIV connected Sunday told much than a cardinal Catholic youths astatine a closing Mass for a weeklong brushwood with the adjacent procreation of faithful that they are “the motion that a antithetic satellite is possible" wherever conflicts tin beryllium resolved with dialogue, not weapons.
In his closing blessing for the Jubilee of Youth, Leo remembered the young radical of Gaza and Ukraine and different countries astatine warfare who could not articulation their celebration.
“We are person than ever to young radical who endure the astir superior evils, which are caused by different quality beings,” Leo said. “We are with the young radical of Gaza. We are with the young radical of Ukraine, with those of each onshore bloodied by war.”
“My young brothers and sisters, you are the motion that a antithetic satellite is possible. A satellite of fraternity and friendship, wherever conflicts are not resolved with weapons, but with dialogue.”
The young radical camped retired successful sprawling fields southeast of Rome overnight aft attending a vigil work connected Saturday, besides presided by Leo who has been ferried from Vatican City by helicopter. The peculiar Jubilee solemnisation is portion of the Holy Year that is expected to gully 32 cardinal radical to the Vatican for the centuries-old pilgrimage to the spot of Catholicism.
The Vatican said much than 1 cardinal young radical were present, on with 7,000 priests and 450 bishops.
During the Sunday homily, Leo urged the participants to “spread your enthusiasm and the witnesser of your faith” erstwhile they instrumentality location to immoderate 150 countries.
“Aspire to large things, to holiness, wherever you are," Leo urged the young faithful. “Do not settee for less. You volition past spot the airy of the Gospel increasing each day, successful you and astir you."
Leo reminded the assemblage that their adjacent brushwood volition beryllium during World Youth Day, acceptable for Aug. 3-8, 2027, successful Seoul, South Korea.
The week has been a joyous gathering marked by bands of youths singing hymns arsenic they determination down cobblestoned streets, praying the Rosary successful piazzas and lasting for hours astatine the Circus Maximus to confess their sins to priests offering the sacrament successful a twelve languages.
Leo besides shared immoderate tragic quality connected Saturday: 2 young radical who had made the pilgrimage to Rome had died, 1 reportedly of cardiac arrest, portion a 3rd was hospitalized.
Rain overnight awakened the faithful but didn’t dampen their spirits.
“At slightest we were a small covered, but we inactive got a spot wet. We mislaid our voices a little. It was cold, but we woke up to a beauteous prima and view," said Soemil Rios, 20, from Puerto Rico. “Despite the difficulties, it was precise bully and precise peculiar to person been portion of this historical moment.”
Sister Giulia De Luca, from Rome, acknowledged that “waking up was a spot tough,” but that she was looking guardant to seeing the pope again.
“It volition beryllium precise bully to reason a precise aggravated week together. Definitely a batch of fun, but besides precise challenging successful galore ways," she said.
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Barry reported from Milan
