Holy Father Pope Francis has urged a group of Jesuits to help youth who are unemployed and at risk. Answering a question from a participant of a “European Jesuits in Formation” course, during a private audience in the anteroom of the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall Aug. 1, the Pontiff said youth unemployment “is a problem of dignity,” and stressed it is an issue Jesuits should be working to help solve.
As reported by CNA, His Holiness Pope Francis remarked that “Unemployment may be one of the most acute and painful problems for young people, because it goes right to the heart of the person. The person who has no work feels [themselves to be] without dignity. This is important: understand the problem of young people, help them feel that you understand them, and “then move to solve this problem.” During the meeting, His Holiness Pope Francis also indicated his desire for Jesuits to read two speeches: one by Blessed Paul VI at the 32nd general congregation in 1974, and one by Fr. Pedro Arrupe, former superior general of the Society of Jesus, whose cause for sainthood was recently opened in Rome.
At the unscripted meeting, the Pontiff also asked for their prayers, and made a comment about the difficulty of being pope, saying the work “is not easy.” Noting that perhaps that statement could sound like “heresy,” he added that it is also “usually fun.”
Source: www.catholicnewsagency.com
