Pope sends message to Taizé youth gathering
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has sent a message to young
people from the ecumenical community of Taizé who are participating in a
European Meeting of Young Adults taking place in Riga, Latvia, from 28 December
to 1 January. It is the first time a European Meeting is taking place in a
Baltic State.
The Holy Father’s letter to the young people dwelt
especially on the virtue of hope. “The Pope is particularly close to you,” it
said, “because he has often called you to not let anyone rob you of your hope.”
Pope Francis thanked them for leaving their “comfortable
homes” to take part in the meeting in Riga. Their participation, he said, shows
that they desire to be “protagonists of history,” and that they desire to not
let others determine their future. He encouraged them “to stand firm in hope by
letting the Lord live in your hearts and your daily lives,” saying, “with
Jesus, the faithful friend who never disappoints, you will be able to walk
along the path toward the future with joy, and devote your talents and
abilities to the good of all.”
Precisely because so many people feel discouraged by
violence and suffering, and believe that evil is “stronger than anything,” Pope
Francis invited the young people “to show in your words and deeds that evil is
not the last word in our history.”
Pope Francis expressed his hope that the meeting in Riga
would help young people to not be afraid of their limits, but “to grow in trust
in Jesus, who believes and hopes in you.” Invoking the simplicity of Brother
Roger, the founder of the Taize community, he prayed that the young people
might “build bridges of friendship and make visible the love with which God
loves us."
Below, please find the full text of Pope Francis’ letter
to the young people of the Taize community who are meeting in Riga:
Dear young people,
Coming from every part of Europe, and from a number of other
continents, several thousand of you have gathered in Riga, Latvia, for the 39th
meeting organized and led by the Taizé Community. With the theme of bearing
witness to hope that will be at the heart of your reflection and prayers, Pope
Francis is particularly close to you because he has often called you to not let
anyone rob you of your hope. During the WYD prayer vigil in Kraków he strongly
emphasized this essential reality of the Christian faith: “At the moment when
the Lord calls us, he looks at all that we might be able to do, all the love we
are capable of sharing. He always wagers on the future, on tomorrow. Jesus
urges you on toward the horizon, never toward the museum” (30 July 2016).
The Holy Father thanks you for choosing to leave your
comfortable homes to live out this pilgrimage of trust in response to the call
of God’s Spirit.
Young Orthodox, Protestant and Catholic Christians, by these
days lived in real fraternity you manifest your desire to be protagonists of
history and not let others decide your future. The Pope encourages you to stand
firm in hope by letting the Lord live in your hearts and your daily lives. With
Jesus, the faithful friend who never disappoints, you will be able to walk
along the path toward the future with joy and devote your talents and abilities
for the good of all.
Today, many people are disconcerted and discouraged by
violence, injustice, suffering and divisions. They have the impression that
evil is stronger than anything. Therefore, Pope Francis invites you to show in
your words and deeds that evil is not the last word in our history. For “it is
the time of mercy for each and all, since no one can think that he or she is
cut off from God’s closeness and the power of his tender love” (Apostolic
Letter, Misericordia and Misera, section 21).
The Pope hopes that these days that bring you together in
Riga will help you not to be afraid of your limits but to grow in trust in
Jesus, the Christ and Lord, who believes and hopes in you. May you, in the
simplicity to which Brother Roger bore witness, build bridges of friendship and
make visible the love with which God loves us.
From the depths of his heart, the Holy Father gives you his
blessing, to you young people participating in this meeting, to the Brothers of
Taizé, and to all the people who welcome you in Riga and the surrounding region.
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