蜜桃交友

By Seàn-Patrick Lovett

It was lunchtime when Pope Francis finished celebrating Mass with priests, religious and members of lay movements in the Cathedral of Santa Maria La Antigua. Anxiously waiting to join him at table , in the nearby Major Seminary of San José, were ten young people of different nationalities, representing the many thousands who are here in Panama to participate in the 34th World Youth Day.

The lunch with the young people was a private occasion. But it was followed later in the day by a press conference, led by the ad interim Director of the Vatican Press Office, Alessandro Gisotti. Speaking to Pope, Gisotti describes the new kind of listening between young people and the Church.

Listening therapy 

鈥淭he message the young people are delivering to Pope Francis鈥�, says Gisotti, 鈥渋s that we need to be listened to. The theme of listening is very present in this pontificate鈥�, he says. In Spanish they call it 鈥渓a terapia de la escucha 鈥�, listening therapy.

鈥淵oung people are saying every day with their every gesture, in every important moment of this World Youth Day, that they want to be listened to鈥�, he says. 鈥淭hey want adults to take them seriously鈥�. Gisotti is convinced young people have found 鈥渁n incredible ally鈥� in Pope Francis, precisely because he takes them so seriously.

The private lunch is a traditional element in the WYD tradition. What struck Alessandro Gisotti , is the attentive way the Holy Father listened to his young guests around the table, even trying to speak to them in English and French, and making sure everyone understood what everyone else was saying.

鈥淚 spoke with him after the lunch鈥�, says Gisotti, 鈥渁nd he told me how important it was for him to listen to these young people, even when it wasn鈥檛 easy to answer their questions鈥�. 鈥淟istening is a gift鈥�, he continues, 鈥渘ot only for the youth, but for us adults, us parents, for people of the Church鈥�.

A common dynamic

The ad interim Director of the Vatican Press Office sees this World Youth Day as a natural continuation of last year鈥檚 Synod of Bishops on Youth. He describes it as being like 鈥渢he second half of a match鈥�. Gisotti says there鈥檚 a common 鈥漝ynamic鈥� between the two. Young people, he says, 鈥渁re changing the way we go forward鈥�. The Holy Father recognizes the contribution young people can make to the Church. In fact, he always underlines how it was 鈥渘ot only a Synod of Bishops about youth鈥�but with youth.鈥�