In his Nov. 23 message for the 40th World Youth Day, Pope Leo XIV spotlighted how having a relationship with Christ is the key to finding the true meaning of life — an answer, he emphasized, which cannot be found by endless scrolling through content online.
“Dear friends, I invite each of you to continue to individuate Jesus’ friends and witnesses in the Bible,” he said in the message published ahead of the World Youth Day. “As you read the Gospel, you will find that they all discovered the true meaning of life through their living relationship with Christ.”
“Indeed, our deepest questions are not heard or answered by endlessly scrolling on our cell phones, which captures our attention but leaves us with tired minds and empty hearts,” he said. “This search will not take us far if we keep it closed within ourselves or in narrow confinements. The fulfillment of our authentic desires always comes through going beyond ourselves.”
The term for this “endless scrolling” on social media has become widely known as “doomscrolling,” a phenomenon in which the user cannot look away from video after video being watched and yet hardly remembers what the content was about. “Doomscrolling” can waste many hours without the person even realizing it — and is a situation many young people find themselves struggling to break free of.
In previous addresses, Pope Leo has often encouraged young people to “log off” of social media and foster real connections with others.
The friends of Christ cultivated a relationship with Him and therefore were able to be witnesses of Christianity, Pope Leo emphasized in this address. Jesus calls His disciples “friends” and asks them to abide in Him, the Pope noted.
“He alone fully knows who we are and why we are here; young people, He knows your heart, your indignation in the face of discrimination and injustice, your desire for truth and beauty, for joy and peace,” Pope Leo said. “Through His friendship, He listens to you, motivates you, and guides you, calling each of you to a new life.”
Jesus only ever desires what is good for people, Pope Leo added, and the Lord “does not want us to be servants, nor ‘activists’ of a political party; he calls us to be with him as friends, so that our lives may be renewed. And witness arises spontaneously from the joyful newness of this friendship.”
This friendship cultivates communion with God and allows one to know his or her own dignity, as well as the dignity of others, Pope Leo said. This friendship is one “that not even death can destroy, because the risen and crucified Lord is its source,” he remarked.
He pointed to the example of the Apostle John, noting how he refers to himself in the Gospel as “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” John the Beloved’s title reflects not the name of an individual but rather “the testimony of a personal bond with Christ,” Pope Leo said, and shows that his relationship with the Lord is what is most important to John.
“What the Apostle John writes also refers to you, dear young people,” the Pope added. “You are invited by Christ to follow Him and sit beside Him, to listen to His heart and share closely in His life! Each one of you is a ‘beloved disciple’ for Him, and from this love comes the joy of witness.”
He encouraged the youth to also accompany peers who are struggling in life and show them Christ’s love. He noted that many young persons are exposed to violence, family separation, forced migration, or lack of education.
Bearing witness to Christ is not always easy, but Christians are called to love their enemies and at times, endure persecution, as the martyrs have from the earliest centuries, the Pope added. He encouraged those who have experienced pain and have then been tempted to respond with aggressive attitudes by recalling the words of Saint Paul from Romans 12:21: “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
Pope Leo continued, “So do not be discouraged: like the saints, you too are called to persevere with hope, especially in the face of difficulties and obstacles.”
The Pontiff emphasized that cultivating friendship with Christ also enables one to have a fraternal relationship with those around him or her. The Holy Spirit gives this person the ability to see his or her neighbor as a brother or a sister, he explained.
“The witness of fraternity and peace that friendship with Christ awakens in us casts off indifference and spiritual laziness, helping us to overcome closed-mindedness and suspicion,” Pope Leo said. “It also builds bonds between us, urging us to work together, from volunteerism to ‘political charity,’ to build new living conditions for all.”
He advised them to avoid following people who weaponize words of faith to create division. Rather, they should strive to reconcile broken and suffering communities.
“To that end, dear friends, let us listen to the voice of God within us and overcome our selfishness, becoming active artisans of peace,” he said. “That peace, which is a gift of the risen Lord (cf. Jn 20:19), will become visible in the world through the common witness of those who carry His Spirit in their hearts.”
He invited young people to grow — especially by praying the rosary — in relationship with the Blessed Mother, as John the Beloved did when Christ entrusted her to him from the cross.
“That way, in every situation of our life, we will experience that we are never alone, for as children we are always loved, forgiven and encouraged by God,” he said. “Bear witness to this joyfully!”
>> Pope Leo tells young people that social media can’t substitute community in one’s faith life <<
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