A special message from Pope LEO XIV | #steubenvilleconferences
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In this special message delivered to participants at the Steubenville Summer Youth Conferences during their 50th anniversary year, Pope Leo XIV reflects on the enduring legacy of St. Francis of Assisi, whose death is also commemorated as an 800th-anniversary event. The Holy Father emphasizes that while St. Francis could speak to many topics relevant to young people today, his most profound message centers on authentic peace and perfect joy, themes that were central to the saint's life in thirteenth-century Assisi. Pope Leo invites attendees to consider whether they truly desire true peace for others and if their actions bring tranquility rather than frustration, noting that St. Francis possessed an inner source of peace from God which allowed him to spread it regardless of external circumstances.
The Pontiff explains that perfect joy is not found in the absence of suffering but can be discovered even amidst cold, hunger, rejection, and other hardships when these difficulties are embraced with patience, without complaint, and with a deep love for God. He contrasts this spiritual reality with modern distractions such as excessive use of electronic devices, social media scrolling, drug abuse, alcoholism, superficial relationships, and an obsession with image, stating that none of these provide true happiness because they waste time or lead to damaging behaviors. Furthermore, he clarifies that joy cannot be found in temporary goods like wealth, beauty, fame, or health alone, as all such things will eventually be left behind, leaving only the unconditional love of God as the foundation for lasting contentment and resilience against anxiety and loneliness.
To cultivate this divine peace and joy, Pope Leo encourages young people to build a trusting relationship with God through regular prayer, receiving sacraments, and surrendering themselves into His hands, which allows grace to fill their hearts and transform challenging situations into opportunities for growth. He reminds the audience that they are precious in God's eyes and unconditionally loved as His beloved children, urging them not to fear closing off or turning away if they sense a call to missionary work, priesthood, religious life, or other vocations needed by the Church today. Instead of retreating out of fear, he advises taking a step forward with faithfulness and speaking openly with trusted friends, priests, or religious sisters about their vocation calls while entrusting themselves fully to God's power to transform them into instruments of His peace in families, communities, and nations around the world.
Read the full video transcript
Dear friends,
I'm happy to greet all of you as you
gather in various locations for the
Steubenville Summer Youth Conferences
during the year that marks the 50th
anniversary of these encounters.
As you might know,
this year we are also celebrating the
800th anniversary of the death of St.
Francis.
Since this event is organized by the
Franciscan University of Steubenville, I
thought it would be fitting to reflect
upon the message St. Francis might have
for young people today.
I think that he could speak to us about
many things, but especially authentic
peace and perfect joy.
For these themes were an important part
of his life.
If you had met St. Francis in the
streets of Assisi in the 13th century,
he might have looked at you with a
serene and loving smile and said,
"Pace e bene."
That is, peace and all good.
This was the way that St. Francis often
greeted people,
and it expresses one of the desires in
his heart.
We too can ask ourselves,
"Do I desire true peace for those who
come into contact with me?
Do I treat others in such a way that
brings them peace?"
Now, you may say that this is not always
easy.
Sometimes our behavior,
even toward those whom we most dearly
love, can bring frustration and conflict
rather than peace.
We must bear in mind that St. Francis
was able to sow peace
not because of his own efforts,
but because
he possessed within himself the source
of true peace.
I've often repeated that peace is a gift
from God,
a gift we receive when we invite the
Lord into our heart.
We are then called to become instruments
of his peace, spreading it to our
families, our communities, our
countries, and the whole world.
I would therefore invite you to take
advantage of moments of silence during
this conference to discover the peace of
Christ that he promised to give to his
disciples.
St. Francis was also known to be a
particularly joyful person.
He delighted in the beauty of creation,
in God's infinite goodness and mercy,
and in the conversion of sinners.
And yet, you may be surprised
by how he once explained what perfect
joy is.
One winter evening, as he was walking
back to Assisi with Brother Leo, one of
the first members of the Franciscan
order,
St. Francis began to give a long list of
apparently good things
that do not lead to perfect joy.
At a certain point, Brother Leo finally
exclaimed, "Father Francis, I pray that
you will teach me about perfect joy."
In his response, Francis described a
tragic situation that implied suffering
cold, hunger, and rejection,
the opposite of what you would expect,
and added that if such difficulties are
embraced with patience, without
complaining, and with love for God,
this is perfect joy.
Is it really possible to have joy in
such difficult circumstances, we might
ask.
It is only possible if our life is
founded upon our relationship with God
as a loving father.
Indeed, the joy of St. Francis the joy
of St. Francis was speaking of cannot be
found through electronic devices,
spending hours in front of a screen,
endlessly scrolling on social media
every day.
These activities often waste precious
time
that could be used for moments of silent
prayer,
of cultivating authentic friendships,
spending quality time with family,
learning more about our faith, studying,
or playing sports.
Joy should never be sought through drug
use, alcohol abuse, promiscuity,
superficial relationships,
obsession about our image,
or any kind of damaging behavior.
Surprisingly,
neither can it be found in goods such as
wealth, beauty, fame, or even health,
for one day we will leave all of this
behind.
Only the love of God can provide us with
true and perfect joy.
If we have the profound conviction that
God cares for us as his beloved
children,
we will not be flustered or discouraged
even in difficult situations.
Many of you have heard since you were
little that God loves you.
But do you really believe it?
You are precious in God's eyes.
You are unconditionally loved by him.
Are you certain of this?
If you cultivate a trusting relationship
with him through regular prayer, through
reception of the sacraments,
if you abandon yourself into his hands,
then anxiety or sadness and loneliness
will fade away as his grace fills you
and as his love inflames your heart.
This is the secret to being able to face
challenging circumstances with a smile.
Open your hearts to discover this
reality.
So, St. Francis' message and mine is
simple.
True peace and perfect joy are gifts
from God that come when we open
ourselves to him and trust in his power
to transform us.
What can we give him in return for such
great love? For such generous gifts?
Nothing but ourselves.
Today, the Lord needs missionaries to
spread the word to those who do not know
him.
Holy men and women to begin loving
Catholic families.
Priests to be spiritual fathers and
ministers of the sacraments, as well as
religious men and women to be witnesses
of the true joy of his kingdom.
If you have a sense that the Lord may be
calling you to one of these vocations,
do not close yourself off or turn away
in fear,
but take a step forward and say to the
Lord,
"Here I am.
Send me."
The same time,
do not be afraid to talk to someone
about it. A trusted friend, priest, or
religious sister.
I wish all of you a fruitful conference,
praying that in these days
you will be filled with Christ's love
and come to know other young people who
desire to give their lives completely to
him
and in so doing, find true happiness.
Entrusting all of you to the maternal
intercession of our lady, cause of our
joy,
I gladly invoke upon each of you the
divine blessings of peace and strength.
And may almighty God bless all of you,
the Father and the Son
and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.