The Holy Father described the Monacan patron Saint Devota as \u201ca courageous young woman who knew how to bear witness to her faith.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pope Leo XIV met with young people and catechumens of Monaco at the Church of Saint Devota, the third public engagement of his one-day trip to the micro-state on March 28.<\/p>\n
After listening to the testimonies of several young people, Leo XIV spoke of the figure of Saint Devota, the patroness of Monaco, describing her as \u201ca courageous young woman who knew how to bear witness to her faith in the face of the violence of her persecutors, even unto martyrdom.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meeting with the Youth of Monaco<\/p>\n
\u201cGood is stronger than evil, even when, at times, it may seem \u2014 in the immediate moment \u2014 to be getting the worst of it,\u201d the pope said. \u201cMoreover, [Devota] reminds us that the witness of faith is a seed capable of reaching and bearing fruit in distant hearts and places, far beyond our own expectations and capabilities.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn this very church, quite recently,\u201d the pope said, \u201cthe memory of the Holy Martyr Devota has been joined by that of Saint Carlo Acutis \u2014 another young person deeply in love with Jesus, faithful to his friendship with Christ until the very end, albeit in a completely different era and in completely different ways.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThese two saints encourage us and urge us to imitate them,\u201d the Holy Father said.<\/p>\n
In the modern world, \u201cfaith encounters challenges and obstacles,\u201d the pope said, \u201cyet nothing can dim its beauty or obscure its truth.\u201d<\/p>\n
Responding to the testimonies of the youth, the pope highlighted \u201ca fundamental aspect of the Christian life: the vitality of one\u2019s relationship with Christ and, within that relationship, the sense of unity that is forged both within ourselves and with others.”<\/p>\n
\u201cThe modern and post-modern eras have enriched us with many good things; yet, they also confront us with significant challenges \u2014 challenges we cannot ignore and which we must face with clarity and awareness,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat gives solidity to life is love: first and foremost, the fundamental experience of God\u2019s love, and then \u2014 as a reflection of that \u2014 the illuminating and sacred experience of mutual love.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd loving one another \u2014 while on the one hand requiring an openness to growth, and thus to change \u2014 on the other demands fidelity, constancy, and a readiness to make sacrifices in the daily rhythm of life,\u201d the pope added.<\/p>\n
\u201cOnly in this way does restlessness find peace, and the inner void become filled \u2014 not with material and fleeting things, nor with the virtual validation of thousands of \u2018likes,\u2019 nor with restrictive, artificial, or at times even violent forms of belonging.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe must clear these things away from the threshold of the heart, so that the healthy, oxygenating air of grace may once again return to refresh and revitalize its chambers, and so that the strong wind of the Holy Spirit may resume filling the sails of our existence, propelling it toward true happiness,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Earlier in the day the pope met with Monaco\u02bcs royal family before meeting with Catholics at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.<\/p>\n
Leo XIV is the first pope to visit the costal European nation-state in nearly 500 years.<\/p>\n
Here are the LIVE UPDATES of the Pope’s Apostolic Journey in Monaco.<\/p>\n
This article was originally published on EWTN News English.<\/p>\n