The following is the text of the message sent by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin on behalf of the  Holy Father Francis to the young people participating in the 7^th Asian Youth Day (AYD 2017) in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, on the theme: “Joyful Asian Youth! Living the Gospel in multicultural Asia”.

Message

His Holiness Pope Francis sends warm greetings and prayerful best wishes to all gathered in Yogyakarta for the seventh Asian Youth Day. He prays that young people from across Asia will listen ever more attentively to God’s call and respond with faith and courage to their vocation. As they prepare for the next World Youth Day, His Holiness invites them to look to the Mother of the Lord as a model of missionary discipleship, to speak to her as they would to a mother, and to trust always in her loving intercession. In this way, as they seek to follow Christ Jesus more closely, they too, like the young woman of Nazareth, can truly “improve the world and leave an imprint that makes a mark on history” (Message to Young People, 21 March 2017). Entrusting all the youth and their families to the maternal intercession of Our Lady, Pope Francis gladly imparts his Apostolic Blessing as a pledge of peace and joy in the Lord.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin
Secretary of State