Lima – Joao Meza an 18-year-old medical student from Lima’s Lince district, shared his personal testimony of faith with Pope Leo XIV during a youth vigil at the National Stadium of Peru. He spoke openly about being mocked at school, feeling isolated, and keeping his pain to himself. In the midst of that pain, he wondered: “Has God abandoned me?” No one in his family knew how to dance. During the pandemic, together with his friend Juan, the son of musicians, he learned the traditional dances of Cajamarca and the marinera, until his sister, who was involved in the parish of Santa Rosa, invited him to take part in a cultural activity. There he discovered “a God who also dances deep within our being, an eternal harmony of love”.
Emily Milagros, from the Diocese of Carabayllo, had drifted away from her parish after receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation, but then returning and getting involved in youth ministry. However, a rapid succession of family losses — including her grandparents, an aunt, an uncle, a young nephew, a cousin and her best friend — left her feeling broken while trying to lead others. In her pain, she realized that God’s love “accompanies me even when I’m afraid, have doubts and exhaustion.”
Sister Luzbinda Ramos Zurita, an Ursuline Sister, Daughter of Mary Immaculate, was 17 when she visited a woman in the final stages of cancer. She was deeply struck by “the light in her eyes”. Shortly afterwards, the sudden death of her mother plunged her into “a silent depression”. During that difficult period, she focused on other life plans. She dreamed of becoming a mathematics teacher, starting a family, and having two children. Noticing her struggles, one of her brothers invited her to visit him in Lima and introduced her to two Ursuline sisters. Seeing peace and tenderness in the gaze of one of the sisters sparked her interest in religious life. She accepted an invitation to a vocational retreat, where she felt welcomed by “the open arms of the Father” rather than “judgment.” Speaking on behalf of struggling youth, Sister Luzbinda asked Pope Leo XIV what he would say to her younger self and to young people today who feel their lives have “fallen apart” and wonder what they could possibly have to offer.
These are the stories that were shared on Thursday, November 12, at the National Stadium in Lima , during the prayer Vigil with young people and university students. In his opening address, Cardinal Carlos Gustavo Castillo Mattasoglio, Archbishop of Lima, recalled the years Robert Francis Prevost spent in Peru as a “seminarian and Augustinian missionary”. He asked the Pope to “respond to these concerns” and offer young people “words of encouragement that will bear fruit in their journey of witness”.
The Pontiff began by greeting, one by one, the communities of greater Lima: “Good evening, Lima! Callao! Carabayllo! Those from Lurín and Chosica are here too!” These are the names of the Archdiocese of Lima and the dioceses surrounding it: the port of Callao to the west, Carabayllo to the north, Lurín to the south and Chosica to the east, towards the Andes, where many of the capital’s densely populated peripheral neighborhoods are located. By calling each of them by name, the Pope embraced the entire metropolitan area. He then added: “Someone told me that Peru needs a sign of hope; well, here today at the National Stadium, you are that sign of hope!”
The Pope drew inspiration from the Gospel of John, from Jesus’ question to the first disciples: “What are you looking for?” And told them: “Do not be in a hurry to answer.”
The first word he entrusted to the young people was “passion”. It is a word used to speak of what we love deeply, but, he observed, it also “reminds us of suffering”. The Pope spoke of young people “who feel lonely, even when they are surrounded by others”, and of those who carry “the pain of loss”. He recalled that Jesus, too, “knew the anguish and darkness of suffering” and from the cross he cried out: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” “He did not desire the cross; he desired our salvation,” he said. “Dear young people, when you suffer, turn to Jesus,” he urged, because “suffering never has the final word”. He added: “Be passionate about everything that is worthwhile, about what is true, good and beautiful!”
Speaking about vocation, Leo XIV addressed a widespread fear: that following God’s will means giving up one’s dreams. This can lead to the suspicion “that God is depriving us of something and that, in order to enjoy life fully, we also need to experience sin”.
Quoting Benedict XVI, he recalled that “evil is always poisonous”. “Do not be deceived. How could something that harms us make us happy? God knows our deepest desires, even better than we know them ourselves. He has placed within us the desire to love and to be happy, and he wants to bring that desire to fulfillment”.
“Perhaps some of you think that you have made too many mistakes or that it is too late to begin anew. I would like to say to you: Look to Jesus,” he observed. He then continued: “You do not need to have your entire future worked out before you answer him. Take the step you can take today.” And added, “often, the Lord shows us the way as we travel along it”.
The third word was “friendship”. Taking up Emily’s experience, without explicitly mentioning her name, the Pope addressed those who lead others: “Do not think that you must always appear strong, especially if you lead groups or accompany others. Allow yourselves to be cared for.” Jesus, too, in Gethsemane, “wanted his friends close to him in the hour of anguish”.
Finally, following the example of Andrew, who brought his brother Simon to Jesus, the Pope invited young people to do likewise, because “a gesture of friendship can change the course of a life”. Moving from words to deeds, Leo XIV embraced those who had shared their testimonies during the vigil and, through them, all the young people of Peru. The Prayer Vigil concluded with a prayer repeated by the entire stadium: “Jesus, I trust in you.”
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