Pope Leo XIV met with young people in Lebanon during his apostolic journey. The Pope encouraged young people to not give into despair and to cultivate friendships. Pope Leo XIV welcomed young people from Syria and Iraq, as well as Lebanese who have returned from abroad. The Pope highlighted the young people's stories of courage, hope, and inner peace.
14 days ago
Pope Leo XIV concluded his first full day in Lebanon with a gathering of young people in Bkerké on December 1, 2025.1
The event featured testimonies from volunteers and youth, followed by questions directed to the Pope.1
He greeted the crowd with "assalamu alaikum," emphasizing unity and God's loving presence among them.1
This apostolic journey highlights the Pope's focus on bolstering Lebanese youth amid regional challenges.2
The Pope addressed stories of courage, hope, and peace shared by young people like Anthony, Maria, Elie, and Joelle.1
He acknowledged Lebanon's history of wars and injustices but encouraged the youth not to despair, noting they possess a hope adults have lost.1
"There is still time to dream, plan, and do good," he stated, positioning them as agents to change history through love rather than evil.1
These testimonies were seen as prophecies of reconciliation and mutual support for a renewed future.1
Drawing on the cedar tree as Lebanon's emblem, Pope Leo urged youth to root their actions in service to society, not self-interest.1
He stressed that true peace must be built on the risen Christ, not partisan goals or mere principles.1
Forgiveness leads to justice, forming the bedrock of authentic peace, he explained in response to a question on perseverance.1
The Pope called the young people to be "artisans of peace," inspiring them to revive their homeland.2
In answering a query on lasting love, the Pope warned against ego-centered friendships that prioritize personal gain over trust.1
True friendship places "you" before "I," fostering a broader "we" open to society and humanity.1
He emphasized that genuine love has no time limit, echoing commitments in family and religious life.1
Such relationships, grounded in shared trust, are essential for enduring bonds.1
Pope Leo highlighted charity as a universal language revealing God's presence, exemplified by Jesus and the saints.1
He praised young people who resist discouragement from injustices, even within the Church, to forge new paths toward justice.1
Saints like Pier Giorgio Frassati, Carlo Acutis, St. Rafqa, Blessed Yakub El-Haddad, and St. Charbel were cited as models.1
The Pope encouraged daily silent prayer to hear God and carrying a rosary, while invoking St. Francis of Assisi's prayer for peace.1
Explore Catholic teaching on youth as architects of peace
Catholic teaching consistently portrays youth as essential architects of peace, entrusted with a divine mission to foster reconciliation, justice, and fraternity in a world scarred by conflict. Drawing from papal exhortations and Church documents, this vision roots itself in Christ's own peace—offered through his Cross and Resurrection—as a gift that young people are called to embody and extend. Youth, with their idealism, energy, and openness, are seen not merely as beneficiaries of peace but as its active builders, countering violence with love, division with dialogue, and injustice with truth. This role demands personal conversion, prayer, and courageous witness, ensuring that peace is not abstract but lived in daily life, families, schools, and societies.
At the heart of Catholic teaching is the belief that Christ invites young people to be his instruments of peace, transforming chaos into order aligned with God's plan. Pope John Paul II emphasized this during his 1986 visit to Australia, addressing youth gathered at the Sydney Cricket Ground: "Dear young people: the Risen Christ is offering his peace to the whole world, and he wants to make you his instruments of peace. You are called to combat chaos and confusion with order – the order of your own lives directed to God and in proper relationship to your fellow human beings." This call extends to preserving creation's dignity, purifying hearts from injustice, and confronting deceit with truth, all while promoting dialogue over rivalry and forgiveness over injury. Such peacemaking mirrors Saint Paul's exhortation to "live the truth in love," growing toward Christ's maturity.
Similarly, in his 2002 Message to Youth "GEN 3," John Paul II urged young people to learn from the Gospel that "truth is not proclaimed with violence, but with the force of truth," uniting justice and forgiveness to cultivate the Kingdom where "justice, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit" reign. He invoked Saint Francis of Assisi as a model, calling youth to be "gentle and courageous 'guardians' of true peace, based on justice and forgiveness, truth and mercy," holding high the lamp of peace for a world in need. This mission requires total self-gift to the Lord, sustained by Mary's maternal guidance.
Pope Paul VI echoed this in his 1978 Mass for Peace, addressing young people and adolescents directly: "Vous aussi. Jeunes gens et Adolescents vous avez votre mot à dire et à faire entendre aux aînés, une parole fraîche, neuve, originale. Dites-la, cette parole de paix, ce 'non à la violence'..." He encouraged them to prioritize love—understood as understanding, benevolence, and solidarity—while strengthening their resolve through prayer, sacraments, and fidelity to Mary, Queen of Peace. Youth, bearing the future of the world, must open their lives to Christ's grace to build a more fraternal, just society.
Catholic doctrine identifies four pillars—truth, justice, love, and freedom—as the foundation for peace, with youth uniquely positioned to uphold them. Blessed Pope John XXIII's Pacem in Terris (1963) forms the basis, as referenced by John Paul II in 2003: "The four pillars on which peace must rest are truth, justice, love and freedom." For believers, prayer is the primary pro-peace action, a gift from God's love that youth must seek amid violence and war. John Paul II linked this to World Youth Day, calling young people to witness Jesus as the source of true peace for hearts, families, and nations.
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith's message for the 45th World Day of Peace (2012) expands this, stating: "Peace is not merely the absence of war... Peace cannot be attained on earth without safeguarding the goods of persons, free communication among men, respect for the dignity of persons and peoples, and the assiduous practice of fraternity." Christ, our true peace, reconciles humanity through his Cross, breaking down divisions (cf. Eph 2:14-18). Yet peace is also a task: youth must educate themselves in compassion, solidarity, and community action, raising awareness on global issues like wealth redistribution and conflict resolution. Echoing the Beatitudes, "Blessed are the peacemakers" (Mt 5:9), the message invites youth, with their attachment to ideals, to persevere in justice and peace, even against the tide, cultivating a taste for what is just and true.
In a 2003 address in Madrid, John Paul II reinforced this amid terrorism and war: "Peace, as we know, is first of all a gift from on High for which we must constantly ask and which, furthermore, we must all build together by means of a profound inner conversion." Youth are exhorted to respond to hatred with love, enmity with forgiveness, and nationalism with tolerance, witnessing that ideas are proposed, not imposed, through prayer and friendship with Christ. This builds a better world of genuine peacemakers.
Youth face daily challenges—at home, school, work, and in society—yet these are opportunities for peacemaking. John Paul II noted in 1986: "As young people following the example of Christ... you are faced with great challenges every day of your lives... At every turn of your life, you are asked to overcome any tendency to selfishness, to reach out to others with open hearts and open minds, in dialogue, not rivalry." Openness demands compassion and respect, but not relativism: truth, though uncomfortable, leads to freedom (Jn 8:32). Together with justice and love, it forms the basis of Christ's peace.
In regions of conflict, like the Holy Land, John Paul II's 1999 message to Israeli and Palestinian youth stressed their role in realizing peace accords: "You young people... must be the first to realize the hopes of your peoples... The future of peace... depends upon the fundamental choices which your generation will make." They must build a society of mutual respect and cooperation, instilling inner peace beyond mere agreements—peace born from the heart, rooted in trust in humanity's vocation and respect for truth and dignity.
Pope Francis, in 2024, addressed a youth delegation from the Holy Land: "We need young people to carry out this important service because they possess a certain idealism, enthusiasm and hope that reminds all of us that a better world is possible, peace is possible." He warned against ideologies replacing rational thought and urged forgiveness to release past prejudices, emphasizing dialogue as the principal tool.
For the 50th anniversary of World War II's end (1995), John Paul II called youth—who lack direct war experience—to reject hatred's culture: "Make a personal commitment to serve life and peace... Renounce every form of extreme nationalism and intolerance." Their mission: open paths to fraternity, loving others as oneself (Lv 19:18; Jn 13:34), building unity through Christ.
The 2012 World Day of Peace message further encourages: "Before the difficult challenge... 'It is not ideologies that save the world, but only a return to the living God'... Love takes delight in truth... enables us to make a commitment to truth, to justice, to peace." Youth are a "precious gift" for society; they must not yield to discouragement or false solutions but commit with fidelity, humility, and dedication, confident in their desires for happiness, truth, and love. The Church offers encounter with Christ, justice and peace incarnate.
Peacebuilding requires spiritual sustenance. Popes repeatedly invoke prayer, especially from youth, as powerful. Pius XII, in 1947's Optatissima Pax, trusted in children's prayers during Christmas for peace and charity. In 1956's Luctuosissimi Eventus, he exhorted youth as "angels" to pray for Hungary's freedom under Mary's patronage. Similarly, in 1948's Auspicia Quaedam, he called for May devotions to Mary for peace.
John Paul II's 1982 address to Italian Catholic Action youth urged cultural, artistic, and civic engagement for peace, following saints like Francis and Catherine of Siena, as credible witnesses through faith coherent with Christ's teaching. Paul VI's 1965 Council message to youth exhorted fighting egoism and violence, building a better world with Gospel enthusiasm, seeing the Church as the world's true youth—renewing and conquering through Christ.
Recent teachings continue this. Pope Leo XIV's 2025 video message to youth in Košice affirmed: "Jesus calls you to be witnesses of communion, builders of bridges and sowers of trust... 'In every situation of our life, we will experience that we are never alone, for as children we are always loved, forgiven and encouraged by God.'" Blessed by Mary, Queen of Peace, youth shine the Church's youthful face in Europe.
Earlier popes laid foundations. Leo XIII in 1884's Humanum Genus commended vigilance over youth against sects, instructing them in Christian teaching to avoid secret societies. In 1887's Officio Sanctissimo, he lamented youth torn from Church influence, affirming her right to educate in religion for piety toward God and duty to others. Pius XI in 1937's Firmissimam Constantiam praised Catholic Action as protection and training for youth to conquer souls with Christian strength. Pius XII in 1939's Summi Pontificatus stressed not restricting the Church's pacification mission, especially for youth.
Benedict XVI in 2006 praised Assisi youth for interreligious prayer, transforming hearts for dialogue and reconciliation, entrusting peace to them as messengers of hope. John Paul II's audiences reinforced this: in 1997, urging World Youth Day participants to witness Christ's love for justice and solidarity; in 2001, entrusting Ukraine's youth with the Ten Commandments against materialism; in 1999, presenting a peace message to Middle Eastern youth of Abrahamic faiths.
In summary, Catholic teaching envisions youth as dynamic architects of peace, empowered by Christ's grace to weave truth, justice, love, and freedom into society's fabric. Through prayer, dialogue, and bold witness—sustained by Mary and the Church—they counter division with fraternity, offering hope for a reconciled world. This mission, timeless yet urgent, calls every young person to personal conversion and communal action, ensuring peace endures as God's gift and humanity's task.