Jesus Youth and Pope Leo XIV: the meeting with young people

A hall filled with people from different countries. Applause welcoming the Pope. And a question running through the encounter: what happens when the love of Jesus enters someone’s life and begins to move them?

That is the thread of the audience on 24 October 2026, in the Paul VI Hall, with around a thousand Jesus Youth delegates and leaders. The movement gathered in Rome for its fortieth anniversary, taking the encounter back into its communities’ journey.

From Kerala to a network of friendship and mission

The story began in Kerala, India, in the context of the Charismatic Renewal. At its heart were young people who experienced a personal encounter with Jesus and wanted to share it. Prayer groups, friendships and initiatives gradually found a common path.

Over time, that experience spread beyond India. The Rome gathering, GO Conference 2026, takes place from 20 to 25 October at the Mariapolis Centre in Castel Gandolfo: a chance to come together and discern the way ahead. The movement also celebrates ten years since its recognition by the Holy See.

The starting point is knowing you are loved

In his official address, the Pope returned to the starting point: personally discovering Jesus’ love. Authentic renewal in the Church can begin there. Before the initiatives to organise comes a relationship to nurture.

This thought concerns us even when our schedules are far less international. We can fill a week with things to do and reach the evening feeling empty. Prayer opens a different space: stopping, bringing God what weighs on us, letting ourselves be reached even in questions we cannot resolve.

A faith that makes time for people in poverty

Leo XIV encouraged Jesus Youth to persevere in prayer and service to the poor, nurturing their missionary zeal and taking it to other countries. He also asked them to preserve unity amid their variety of cultures, languages and backgrounds.

It is a practical calling. Sharing faith also means learning to listen to someone with a different story and remaining close to people in difficulty. The Gospel takes shape in relationships: in time given, patience and help that actually arrives.

Love as a couple is a vocation too

In his address, the Pope spoke of marriage as God’s call to holiness and encouraged working with families. Everyday love, with the responsibilities and choices it brings, belongs fully within the horizon of faith.

For those dreaming of a family, preparing to marry or learning to live together, these words offer a perspective: our emotional lives can be a place where we respond to God. A journey to accompany with care and welcome with joy.

Your life has a place in God’s plan

The message to young people includes encouragement to trust the value of their lives within God’s plan. We like to carry it beyond the Paul VI Hall: it can reach someone who feels behind, constantly compares herself with others or believes she has little to offer.

There is a possible step today too. Find a group to pray with. Offer a few hours of volunteering. Reconnect with someone you have drifted away from. Jesus Youth began by meeting together: perhaps our next encounter will open a path too.