Pope Leo Brings Jubilee of Youth to a Close (The Patrick Madrid Show)

Image via Fabrizio Maffei / Shutterstock. Patrick Madrid gives you a front-row seat to one of the most epic Catholic youth events in recent memory, and Pope Leo was flying in style. Here’s the scoop: The Vatican reports that close to 1 million young Catholics showed up in Rome this past Sunday for the grand finale of the Jubilee of Youth, part of the Holy Year celebration. Half a million were already in town by midweek, and the numbers kept growing. Think: tents, sleeping bags, guitars, and lots of prayer. Pope Leo arrived via helicopter 🙌. So amazing! There’s an actual photo of him sitting there, calm and collected, as he looked down on 125 acres of pure Catholic youth energy. VIGIL + MASS Saturday night: twilight vigil with prayer, music, and probably some sleepy pilgrims wrapped in sleeping bags, strumming “Jesus songs.” Sunday morning: the final Mass with 450 bishops and 700 priests. 🌍 CATHOLIC & GLOBAL Youth from 146 countries showed up... waving flags, singing in the streets, and bringing the Church's universal beauty to life. The Holy Father mentioned the suffering of young people in Gaza, Ukraine, and other war-torn places, and said this generation is the sign that a different world is possible.💬 “Conflicts are not resolved with weapons, but with dialogue.” 🎶 THE HOLY SPIRIT WAS LOUDER THAN THE SPEAKERS Religious bands rocked the venue, and it was about being together for Jesus.  ✨ TAKEAWAY: HOPE IS YOUNG The crowds reminded Patrick of the massive World Youth Days with St. John Paul II (like that 3–5-million-person mega-Mass in Manila in the ‘90s). And just like then, this Jubilee shows that the Faith is alive, young, and on fire. The best way to listen to the Best of the Week is on our #1 Free Catholic App. It’s free and always will be! To get and share the Relevant Radio app, check it out here.