Pope Leo Makes Surprise Appearance at the Jubilee of Youth (The Patrick Madrid Show)

Image via Neblett Studio / Shutterstock.  Patrick Madrid paints a beautiful scene straight from the Eternal City. Imagine thousands of young people, filled with anticipation, standing in St. Peter’s Square... and then, completely unannounced, Pope Leo appears. Surprise turns into joy. The Holy Father’s unexpected arrival at the welcoming Mass for the Jubilee of Youth lit the crowd up with energy. Without fanfare, he greeted the youth in three languages he speaks fluently: Italian, Spanish, and English... reaching their hearts in the tongues they call home. Quoting Jesus from Matthew 5, he reminded the young people: “You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world.” In English, he honored their passion and voices: “Your cries are all for Jesus Christ, and you will be heard until the ends of the earth.” Then, switching to Spanish, he offered this soul-stirring message: “The world needs messages of hope. You are this message.” And in Italian: “Let us hope that all of you will always be a sign of hope for the whole world.” ✝️ A Global Prayer for Peace Pope Leo then led the youth in prayer, and he invited them to cry out together: “We want peace in the world.” And in that moment, under the Roman sky, their collective prayer became a powerful witness to the peace of Jesus Christ, a peace so desperately needed in our fractured world. 🙌 What Comes Next Maybe your own child is over in Rome right now, part of this Jubilee. Pope Leo will lead a special vigil on August 2nd, followed by a closing Mass on August 3rd. The youth are messengers of hope, bearers of light, and witnesses of God’s grace.   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.