PRESS RELEASE

Publication, Piazza San Pietro. Young people’s concerns and the Pope’s response:

“I entrust you to Mary, who as a young woman harboured in her heart questions greater than herself”

VATICAN, 15 MAY – The May issue of Piazza San Pietro, the magazine published by the Vatican Basilica and edited by Father Enzo Fortunato, is dedicated to Our Lady and the ever-relevant theme of Peace.

It is a rich and thought-provoking issue, full of spiritual and cultural insights, but its most authentic heart lies in the ‘Dialogue with Readers’ section, featuring a touching exchange between a young Calabrian student and Pope Leo.

The letter to the Pontiff is from Pietro, 18, from Reggio Calabria, who speaks of his anxieties regarding the end of his school years, his friendships, his future and his desire to build a life founded on authentic love and faith. “I feel so much anxiety and confusion within me”, the young man confides to the Holy Father, asking for a prayer to help him face his journey with serenity.

The Pope’s reply is profound and fatherly, inviting the young man not to fear change and to cherish the truest desires of his heart: “You are loved by Jesus. Not in an abstract way, but personally, just as you are today, with your questions and your dreams”. And again: “The anxiety you speak of is not a negative sign. Often it is the place where God works deeply”.

His words culminate in one of the most poignant passages of the papal letter: “I entrust you to Mary, who as a young woman held in her heart questions greater than her”.

The May issue of Piazza San Pietro thus offers a reflection on the value of inner peace, confidence and listening, entrusting to the Virgin Mary the task of accompanying the anxieties and hopes of the younger generations.

Letter (Pietro)

DEAR POPE, I FEEL SO MUCH ANXIETY WITHIN ME

Dear Holy Father,

I am Pietro, a student aged 18. I live in Reggio Calabria and I am in my final year of the Classical Lyceum. As I reach the end of this important journey—the five years of secondary school—I feel a great deal of anxiety and confusion within me, which mainly concerns the relationships and bonds I have built during this time. I fear losing all the friendships I have made in this chapter of my life, not only at school, but also in the parish and in my daily life. A phase of profound change lies ahead of me, beginning with the choice of university, which in a way marks the transition to the next stage of life; in my relationship with the Lord, I feel His constant presence, yet this makes me long for new answers regarding the path I am to take. Your Holiness, I dream of building and realizing the vision of a family united in the love of Christ, to walk together with someone on the path of His love, but as I have said, my certainties regarding relationships are wavering. I fear I cannot even discern which bonds are genuine and worth preserving and nurturing, and which are less sincere and which I can do without. Holy Father, for all this and for my immediate future, I ask you to pray for me, that I may understand how to live with this sense of unease and longing that is accompanying me, and that I may set out on my path with peace of mind, always doing God’s will.

Pietro, Reggio Calabria

Answer (Pope Leo)

I ENTRUST YOU TO MARY, WHO AS A YOUNG WOMAN HARBOURED IN HER HEART QUESTIONS GREATER THAN HERSELF

Dearest Pietro,

I read your letter with great emotion. In it I recognize the heart of a young person who is not content with the status quo and who takes his own life seriously. I would like to say to you, first and foremost, a word that comes before all others: you are loved by Jesus. Not in an abstract way, but personally, just as you are today, with your questions and your dreams, your fears and your desires. This love precedes you and will always accompany you; it does not depend on the choices you make or the paths you take. Jesus knows the experience of friendship well. He called His disciples friends; He shared bread and the journey with them; He was a friend to Lazarus, Martha and Mary. He lived true and authentic bonds to the point of experiencing the pain of separation and betrayal. Therefore, Jesus would be the first to understand your fear of losing the friendships that have marked these years. Not everything will remain the same for you, but what has been genuine is not lost; indeed, true love does not fade and remains forever, maturing even as it changes form. The desires of your heart—not the fleeting ones that melt like snow in the sun, but those that endure over time—give you a sense of deep peace and guide you towards choices for the good, towards the gift of yourself and towards a life shared with others. Discernment springs from this. Do not be in a hurry to understand everything at once. Time is a patient teacher and heals wounds. Daily prayer, even if simple and few in words, listening to the Word of God, the celebration of the Sacraments and dialogue with wise people will help you to recognize which bonds to cherish and nurture, and which, without judgement, to prune. Not everything that comes to an end is a defeat: at times it is just a passage necessary for growth. Your dream of a family based on Christ’s love is a precious gift for the Church too; cherish it with confidence. The Lord does not disappoint the desires that He Himself has kindled in the heart. The restlessness you speak of is not a negative sign. Often it is the place where God works deeply. It is like the soil that the farmer has ploughed and is ready to receive a new seed.

I invite you to listen with sincerity, and I assure you of my prayers. I ask for you the grace of inner peace, of trust and of a clear vision of your life. I entrust you to Mary, who as a young woman learnt to trust despite harbouring in her heart questions greater than herself.

Leo PP. XIV