Pope Francis sees Catholic youth around the globe as essential to the new evangelisation called for by all popes of the last several decades. Photo: CNS
Pope Francis has this month sent a message to Australia’s young people ahead of the Australian Catholic Youth Festival.
The Holy Father sent the message assuring youth of his prayers, spiritual closeness and hope that the festival will be an occasion for them to “deepen their relationship with the Lord”.
The ACYF is scheduled the commence in Sydney on Thursday 7 December 2017.
Imparting an apostolic blessing, the Holy Father wrote that he hoped “the graces of this meeting may increase in young people the desire to recommit themselves to daily prayer, to reading of the Sacred Scriptures, and to a faith-filled participation in the Eucharistic Sacrifice.
“In this way, the festival will be an occasion for young Catholics of the nation to deepen their relationship with the Lord and to offer the Church and society the message of faith which is a ‘flame that grows stronger the more it is shared and passed on, so that everyone may know, love, and confess Jesus Christ, the Lord of Life and History’,” the Holy Father wrote.
Pope Francis sees Catholic youth around the globe as essential to the new evangelisation called for by all popes of the last several decades.
He commended all present throughout the festival and their families to the intercession of Mary, Mother of the Church.