Pope at Angelus encourages young
people to be witnesses of hope
Pope Francis greets the faithful following his Palm Sunday
Mass and Angelus and prays for the sick and their families, and all those who
self-sacrificingly care for them.
By Vatican News
Pope Francis ended his Palm Sunday Angelus by greeting the
faithful “taking part through the means of social communication”. In
particular, he said, “my thoughts go out to the young people all over the
world”, who are living today’s Diocesan World Youth Day “in an unprecedented
way”. Diocesan World Youth Day 2020 is marked on Palm Sunday, 5 April.
Sunday 5 April should have also marked “the handing over of
the Cross” from the young people of Panama, where the last World Youth Day took
place in 2019, to those of Lisbon, where the next World Youth Day will be
taking place in 2022. “This very significant gesture” has been postponed and
will now be taking place on Christ the King Sunday, on 22 November, said the
Pope. “While waiting for that moment, I urge you, young people to cultivate and
witness to the hope, to the generosity, the solidarity of which we are all in
need in this difficult moment”, he added.
Looking ahead, Pope Francis noted that Monday 6 April marks
the UN’s International Day of Sports for Development and Peace. In this period
“many sporting events have been suspended”, said the Pope. Despite this, he
continued, we are able to see the best fruits of sports emerge: “resistance,
team spirit, fraternity…”. So, he urged, “let’s launch sports for peace and
development once again!”.
Pope Francis concluded by asking the faithful to “journey in
faith toward Holy Week in which Jesus suffers, dies and rises”. He invited all
those who are unable to participate in the liturgical celebrations to “gather
together in prayer at home, aided by the means of technology”.
Let us hold close spiritually those who are sick and
their families, and all those who self-sacrificingly care for them. Let us pray
for the deceased in the light of paschal faith. Everyone is present in our
hearts, in our thoughts, in our prayers.
Finally, the Pope prayed that Mary “walk with us and sustain
our hope”, as we “follow Jesus on the way of the cross that leads us to the
glory of the Resurrection”.
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