Pope Leo XIV Urges Youth to Be Digital Missionaries, Signs of Hope

Pope Leo XIV greeted thousands of young pilgrims during Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle's mass at the Live Pure Youth Conference held at Santa Pudenziana Church, the seat of the Filipino chaplaincy in Rome.

- — Bella Cariaso

Speaking at the end of the mass on Friday, the pontiff urged the youth to become "digital missionaries" and use technology to foster peace and uphold human dignity in a world "torn apart by enmity and war."

"How much we need peace in these times," Pope Leo said. "Peace needs to be sought, proclaimed and shared everywhere — both in the tragic places of war and in the empty hearts of those who have lost the meaning of existence and the taste for spiritual life."

He called on young Catholics and influencers to go beyond creating content and instead "create encounters among hearts" and "mend nets" of relationships and love.

"It is up to us—to each one of you — to ensure that this culture remains human," he added.