"The relic we bless is simply a road sign, a finger that points us to the necessity, the urgency, the requirement to follow the Gospel in a radical way."
In his Angelus, the pope said forgiving is “not a good deed that we can choose to do or not do” but “a fundamental condition for those who are Christians.”
The pope noted that in the eyes of the world it might appear “absurd” to begin confronting societal problems by prayers on one’s knees of “adoration and reparation,” but that it is always effective.
Despite the incredible devastation and widespread fears that another anti-Christian riot would break out, hundreds of Catholics turned to the Eucharist.
Day was a "restless" woman and one who "teaches us that God is not simply a comfort or a form of alienation to turn to amid life's difficulties, but that he abundantly meets our yearning for joy and fulfillment," the pope wrote in the foreword.
"All of us in life have cried, and we cry still. And there is Jesus with us, he cries with us, because he accompanies us in the darkness that leads us to tears."
The "illusions" of the virtual world "attract us and promise happiness" but later show themselves to be "vain, superfluous things, substitutes that leave us empty inside."
"God is waiting for you and he wants to speak to each of you. Do not be afraid to listen to him and to speak to him, so pray," said the French soccer star.
It has always been an opportunity for young people from all over the world to personally encounter Christ and choose to give themselves completely to his service in the priesthood or in consecrated life.
A few days before being released after six years in jail for drug trafficking, Silva put the finishing touches on the 50 confessionals that, together with four other prisoners, he built for World Youth Day (WYD) 2023