Pope Leo XIV Calls Youth to Courage Rooted in Christ
Signed Oct. 22 and released Nov. 3, the text for local Christ the King feasts and Seoul 2027 warns tech cannot replace real closeness.
On Tuesday, November 3, 2026, the Vatican released Pope Leo XIV’s message for the 41st World Youth Day under the theme “Take courage, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). The pope signed the text on October 22. It is addressed to local diocesan celebrations on November 22, the solemnity of Christ the King, and to the international gathering in Seoul, South Korea, from August 3 to 8, 2027, which he is expected to attend.
Loneliness, pressure, and the call to take courage
Leo wrote: “Some of you know what it means to experience loneliness, disappointment, or the fear of not being good enough. It is in circumstances like these that we hear the Gospel’s invitation to take courage.” He named the pressures weighing on the young: fear for the future, pressure “to succeed and appear perfect,” the stress of “a continuous comparison with others or with unattainable, manufactured ideals,” and difficulty accepting their identity “under the influence of carefully curated images on social media.”
“Faith does not immediately dispel the darkness, but neither does it leave us alone in it,” he wrote. “Christian courage does not arise primarily from our own strength; it comes from his presence.”
Courage for others, not against them
The pope said technology “can imitate empathy but cannot replace authentic human closeness.” He described Christian courage as courage “for,” not “against,” naming three forms: “the courage to be kind when harshness seems easier and more effective, the courage to seek peace when confrontation seems more advantageous, the courage to hold on to hope when cynicism seems more convincing.”
“True victory is not imposing oneself, but giving oneself,” he added. “Your dignity does not come from the image you manage to construct of yourselves. You are precious because you are created in the image of God, known and loved by him.”
Warning against the belief that “we are our own saviors,” Leo urged young people to accept the help of others and entrust their lives to God. For Seoul he wrote: “Do not prepare only the practical things for the trip to Seoul; prepare your hearts!” He invited them to bring to Christ the wounds of their societies and countries and the cry of the earth and of the poor, closing by making his own John Paul II’s words: “Do not be afraid! Open wide the doors to Christ.”