Pope Leo XIV encouraged the participants of the Medjugorje youth festival to unite the flames of their hearts so that this fire may illuminate their journey and their pilgrimage toward God, who calls them and, in some cases, has raised up in them the desire to serve him through the priesthood or consecrated life.
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This is the first message from Pope Leo XIV addressed to the Medjugorje Youth Festival and also the first from a pontiff to this event since, in September 2024, the Vatican — with the approval of Pope Francis — recognized the pastoral validity of the spiritual experience of Medjugorje, without pronouncing on the supernatural authenticity of the alleged apparitions of the Virgin Mary, venerated there as Queen of Peace.
“We Will Go to the House of the Lord!” is the theme of the 36th Medjugorje youth festival, being held Aug. 4–8. The event takes place just after the heavily attended conclusion of the Jubilee of Youth in Rome, when more than a million people participated in the final Mass with Pope Leo XIV at Tor Vergata on Aug. 3.
In his message, released Aug. 4 by the Vatican press office, the Holy Father explained that the festival’s theme “tells us of a journey, of a desire to move towards God, towards his dwelling-place, where we can truly be at home, because he awaits us there with his love.”
And on this journey, he continued, it is God himself who accompanies each person, since “on the path of life, no one walks alone.”
“Our paths are always intertwined with those of others: We are made for encounter, for walking together, for discovering together a shared goal,” the Holy Father said.
Pope Leo then highlighted a thought from St. Augustine: “Let us go, let us go! They thus speak to one another and, kindling, as it were, one another, they form a single flame. And this one flame, born of the one speaking, communicates to the other the fire with which it burns.”
In this regard, the Holy Father exclaimed: “What a wonderful image! No one walks alone: We incite each other, we kindle each other. The flames of hearts unite and become one great fire that lights the way. You too, young people, are not lonely pilgrims. This road to the Lord is traveled together.”
The challenge of artificial intelligence
Speaking about artificial intelligence, Leo XIV emphasized that “no algorithm can ever substitute an embrace, a glance, a true encounter, neither with God, nor our friends, nor our family.”
“Think of Mary. She too set out on an arduous journey to meet her cousin Elizabeth. It was not easy, but she did it, and that encounter gave rise to joy: John the Baptist rejoiced in his mother’s womb, recognizing the living presence of the Lord,” he pointed out.
“You have come to Medjugorje from many nations, and perhaps it seems that language or culture is an obstacle to encounter: take courage. There is a language stronger than any barrier, the language of faith, nourished by God’s love,” the pontiff emphasized.
After encouraging them to encounter and truly know one another, Pope Leo XIV added: “Along the way, if any of you feel within the calling to a special vocation, to the consecrated life or the priesthood, I encourage you not to be afraid to respond.”
“That invitation, which you feel vibrate within, comes from God, who speaks to our hearts. Listen to him with confidence: Indeed, the word of the Lord not only makes us truly free and happy but also authentically fulfills us as men and as Christians,” the pope said.
Entrusting the young people to “Mary, mother of Christ and our mother,” Pope Leo concluded: “May the Holy Virgin encourage you and guide you along the way, to become proclaimers of peace and hope. From my heart I impart upon all of you my apostolic blessing.”
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
