VATICAN CITY — Young Europeans must be a sign of unity and inclusion to counter today’s culture that seeks to divide humanity through violence and indifference, Pope Francis said.
In a message to participants at a European youth conference, the pope encouraged young people to not “be drawn into shortsighted ideologies that want to show others, those who are different from ourselves, as enemies.”
“Be in solidarity with everyone, not only with those who look like us, or give off an image of success, but with those who suffer, whatever their nationality or social status,” he wrote in the message released by the Vatican July 11.
Sponsored by the European Union, the July 11-13 EU Youth Conference gathered young people from across Europe to discuss issues such as sustainable development, education and the environment.
In his message, the pope said that young people in Europe today are “less ideologized,” which makes them capable of transforming “the ‘old continent’ into a ‘new continent.’”
“As young Europeans, you have an important mission,” the pope said. “If in the past your ancestors went to other continents, not always for noble interests, it is now up to you to present the world with a new face of Europe.”
Young people, he said, must make their “voices heard” by older generations, and “if they do not listen to you, shout even louder, make noise; you have every right to have your say on what concerns your future.”
Reflecting on his Global Compact on Education, an initiative he launched in 2019, the pope said that among its proposals is the call for young people to be witnesses to “the value of inclusion.”
Students who study abroad, for example, are proof that the encounter between different people helps one “to have a broad outlook in order to be open up to others, and not discriminating against anyone, for any reason.”
Education, he continued, should be “based not on competitiveness but on solidarity,” so young people should not aspire to “enter elite educational environments, where only people with lots of money can be accepted.”
“Such institutions often have an interest in maintaining the status quo, in training people to ensure that the system works the way it is,” he said. “Rather, those schools that combine educational quality with service to others should be valued, since the purpose of education is personal growth directed toward the common good.”
Pope Francis also called on young Europeans to take the lead in protecting the environment and to resist the temptations “of a life of luxury reserved for a small slice of the world” that continuously exploits the world’s resources in a “self-destructive trend.”
“May you aspire to a life of dignity and sobriety, without luxury and waste, so that everyone in our world can enjoy a dignified existence,” the pope wrote. “There is an urgent need to reduce the consumption not only of fossil fuels but also of so many superfluous things.”
Editor’s note: Pope Francis will not hold weekly audiences in July. His weekly audiences are scheduled to return in August.