Pope Leo tells hundreds of thousands of young Catholics to build a better world

3/8/2025 16:31

Pope Leo celebrated the largest event yet of his nearly three-month tenure on Sunday, encouraging a crowd of more than a million Catholic young people gathered in a field on the outskirts of Rome to spread their faith.



Amid shouts of "Viva il Papa" (Long live the Pope) from young people dressed in colourful t-shirts and waving national flags at the Tor Vergata field, Leo led a Mass that capped a special week of events meant to energise Catholic youth.



"Dear young people ... spread your enthusiasm and the witness of your faith to everyone you meet," the pope said during his sermon for the event, which also urged them not to focus on gaining material possessions but on helping those in need.



"Buying, hoarding and consuming are not enough," said Leo. "We need ... to realise that everything in the world has meaning only insofar as it serves to unite us to God and to our brothers and sisters."



Many of the youths attending the event spent the night outside in the field, to be ready for the pope's arrival at 7:45 a.m. in advance of heat expected to reach 30 degrees Celsius later on Sunday.