ROME – 300 young adults from all over the world are gathering in Vatican City this week. Over the course of the next seven days, they’ll be meeting with Pope Francis to prepare for the October Synod of Bishops on youth, faith, and vocational discernment.
Read more: 5 Ways to Prepare for the Synod on Youth, Faith, and Vocational Discernment
Pope Francis’s goal for this week with young adults is to hear from active youth ministers and young people in order to gain perspective into what the Church should be doing to help young adults strive for sainthood.
“It is my great desire,” Pope Francis said when discussing the meeting with youth, “that young people representing the ‘peripheries’ would be the protagonists of this synod.”
During the first meeting of the pre-synod gathering, Pope Francis encouraged the young adult delegates to speak bravely about their experience as young Catholics.
“Too often people speak of youth without consulting you,” the pope continued. “Some believe that it would be easier to keep you at ‘a safe distance,’ so as not to be provoked by you. It’s not enough to exchange a few little messages or share cute pictures. Young people must be taken seriously!”
The document that will result from this week’s meeting with young adults will ultimately be presented to the bishops during October’s Synod.
If you’re not in Rome, you can follow along with the synod meeting with Pope Francis and tune in live during the meetings via YouTube!
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