Message Pope Leo XIV gave to the youth in Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq
Lenore Sanders on Facebook
December 3, 2025
Pope Leo XIV Confident That Youth ‘Have the Enthusiasm To
Change the Course of History!’
Dec. 2, 2025 (EIRNS)—Speaking on Dec. 1 to 15,000 youth from Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq, overflowing the square in front of the Maronite Patriarchate of Antioch in Bkerké, Lebanon, Pope Leo XIV told young people that they, with their hopes, dreams, and intention “to do good,” will be able to lead the way to a world without war. Four young people had given witness and asked questions, before the Pope addressed the crowd. “Their stories speak of courage in the midst of suffering. They speak of hope in the face of disappointment, and inner peace during times of war. They are like shining stars in the night sky, offering a glimpse of the dawn,” Pope Leo XIV responded. “Dear young people, perhaps you regret inheriting a world torn apart by wars and disfigured by social injustice. Yet there is hope, and there is hope within you! You have a gift that many times we adults seem to have lost. You have hope! You have time! You have more time to dream, to plan, and to do good. You are the present, and the future is already taking shape in your hands! You have the enthusiasm to change the course of history! The true opposition to evil is not evil, but love—a love capable of healing one’s own wounds while also caring for the wounds of others.”
He assured them that their war-torn homeland of Lebanon “will flourish once again, beautiful and vigorous like the cedar, a symbol of the people’s unity and fruitfulness.” He encouraged them, “with a generous commitment to justice, [to] plan together for a future of peace and development. Be the source of hope for Lebanon!”
To their question about where they can find “a firm foundation for persevering in the commitment to peace,” he answered in religious terms, and then specified that “peace is not authentic if it is the product of partisan interests.” Peace will only come by following Christ’s instruction to do to others what you would have them do unto you. Likewise, he cited St. John Paul II’s insistence that “there is no peace without justice, no justice without forgiveness” [Message for the 35th World Day of Peace, 1 January 2002].
Pope Leo emphasized that “forgiveness leads to justice, which is the foundation of peace.” God’s presence in the world is expressed “more than anything else” in “love, charity! Charity speaks a universal language, because it speaks to every human heart. ”
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