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'Have the nerve to speak out… You are the protagonists and it is important that you speak openly… I assure you that your contribution will be taken seriously,' Pope Francis told young people. (Photo by National Nuclear Research University)
By La Croix International staff | Vatican City
Pope Francis has assured young people that they will be listened to and has asked them not to be afraid to speak out.
"Do not be ashamed, you have to speak openly," Pope Francis told some 300 young adults March 19, opening a weeklong meeting in preparation for October's Synod of Bishops on the theme: Youth, faith and vocational discernment.
"I say what I feel, and if someone feels offended, I ask for forgiveness and move forward. Speak with humility," the pope said.
"Too often we talk about young people without asking what they think," he said.
"In difficult times, the Lord makes history unfold with young people," Pope Francis said, mentioning the story of Samuel from the Bible.
"At that time, people were not used to listening to the voice of God: they were disoriented, it was a young man who opened that door. Young people are not ashamed," he said.
Young people "have more strength to laugh, and also to cry," he said. "Please, be courageous in these days, speak out your mind."
"I invite you, this week, to express yourselves frankly and freely," Pope Francis said.
"Once again I say to you: have the nerve to speak out… You are the protagonists and it is important that you speak openly… I assure you that your contribution will be taken seriously," he said.
Pope Francis said he had read some of the emails regarding the questionnaire posted online by the Synod Secretariat and had been struck by the responses of many young people. "The church must learn new ways of presence and closeness," he said.
Most of the gathered young people, the pope spoke to in Rome were chosen as delegates by their national bishops' conferences. Some were representatives from a variety of Catholic movements. The Vatican had also invited delegates from other Christian churches, other religions, and young people who describe themselves as non-believers.
Pope Francis spent the morning with the young people and heard directly from 10 of them, who represented every region of the world.
He responded to questions about issues faced by young people from around the world issues ranging from making life choices, human trafficking to tattoos.
This is some of what he told those asking questions:
When asked by a Nigerian, rescued from forced prostitution in Italy, what the church could do to increase awareness of human trafficking and whether the church, which is "still too chauvinistic," is really capable of helping, the pope categorically said, "One who goes to a prostitute is a criminal, a criminal."
He added, "This is not making love. This is torturing a woman. Let's not confuse the terms. This is criminal."
"Prostitution is a serious problem," the pope told the young people. It stems from the mentality that says, "women are to be exploited… This is one of the battles that I ask you young people to do, for the dignity of women," he said.
"Don't be afraid of tattoos," Pope Francis said adding that for centuries Eritrean Christians and others have gotten tattoos of the cross.
"Of course, there can be exaggerations," he said. But a tattoo "is a sign of belonging," and asking a person about his or her tattoos can be a great place to begin a dialogue "and then you can approach the culture of the young."
On the existence of God
When asked about the meaning of one's life and a relationship to the world and to God, if God exists, the pope said, "The danger is not allowing the question to come up."
Young people must have "the courage to tell themselves the naked truth" about their hopes and weaknesses, the pope said, and then they must find a wise person — someone patient, "who won't be frightened by anything" — with whom they can talk through their questions.
The pope warned that when young people fail to find their "path of discernment," they risk shutting themselves off.
This can become like carrying a "cancer" inside, he said. And this risks weighing them down and taking away their freedom.
When told that young people want debate in the church about sexuality, same-sex attraction and the role of women because with today's social media influence it is difficult to know who to listen to and to know "which path should I take, given that I can virtually take any," the pope spoke about the need for education that teach three basic languages: those of the head, the heart, and the hands.
The language of the head, he said, means thinking well and learning concrete things. That of the heart means understanding feelings and sentiments. The language of the hands is making use of the gifts God has given us to create new things.
The key, he said, is to use all three together. Pope Francis criticized what he called the "isolating nature" of today's digital but said modern technology must be used well with a "concreteness that brings freedom."
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