“We are not spiritual tourists. We are pilgrims searching for meaning. Our backpacks are filled with doubts, wounds, songs, and hope. But we also carry a certainty in our hearts: Christ is alive. And he calls us.” These are the opening words of the ‘Manifesto of Young Christians of Europe’ presented in the Vatican press office this morning. It will be read on 1 August at the Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere. The Manifesto is the result of a wide-ranging process of youth participation at international level in the project “Rome 25 – St. James 27 – Jerusalem 33”. The initiative was launched by the Spanish Episcopal Conference and is supported today by the CCEE, along with numerous episcopal conferences, dioceses, parishes, and ecclesial movements throughout Europe. The official proclamation of the Manifesto is scheduled to take place on Friday 1 August 2025 at the Basilica of Santa Maria. In response to a question, Monsignor Mikel Garciandia, Bishop of Palencia and spokesperson for the Spanish Episcopal Conference and the project’s Coordination Committee, said: “Our greatest dream would obviously be for Pope Leo to be at Santa Maria in Trastevere. However, we do not wish to overstep our boundaries, so we plan to ask him to support the project with a video message.”
The Manifesto marks the beginning of a journey. “We choose to walk”, they write, “because following Christ means not standing still. It means letting go of complacency, cynicism, and indifference. It means setting out on a journey. From Rome, we will travel to Santiago de Compostela. From there, we will travel to Jerusalem. And from there… to the whole world. We have chosen to proclaim. Not with empty words, but with lives lived with authenticity. Through music, social media, art, silence and presence. With a faith that does not impose, but proposes.” The young thus turn to the Church and their peers: “We ask the Church to trust us. Allow us to make mistakes, to serve and to grow. We ask for authentic paths, vibrant communities and shepherds who will walk alongside us. We call on the young people of the world not to quench their thirst. Do not settle for a life without truth!” From Rome, we proclaim: Jesus is our Lord! We are his generation! We are his Church! We are not an experiment. We are not an ancillary addition. We are God’s gift to the world.”
“The young people will come together at the Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere,” said Monsignor Marco Gnavi, the parish priest, “with their backpacks filled with doubts, hopes, and questions. This pilgrimage will not provide answers or offer simplistic solutions; rather, it will help us to discover the ‘we’ of the Church. Given the prominent role of this young generation, this ‘we’ is burdened with the questions, wounds and expectations of humanity that many adults shy away from, but which young people embrace. The gathering at the Basilica of Santa Maria will involve prayer, witness, fraternity and joy.” “In your manifesto,” continued Gnavi, “you explicitly ask the Church to trust you. Today, we are living with Pope Leo, and we will continue to be a Church that goes forth. This time, we will allow ourselves to be guided by the questions, prayers and expectations of millennials.”
“We, the young people and the adults of this small Church in the Holy Land, need your witness and spiritual closeness now more than ever,” said Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, in a video address from Jerusalem during the press conference. “It gives us great hope to know that you have chosen to issue a proclamation at the Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere in Rome, the day before the Jubilee of Young People, to announce a plan for an evangelising process that will start in Rome, continue to Santiago and end in Jerusalem during the Jubilee of Redemption in 2033. I share this beautiful dream with you,” the Patriarch added. “The young people of our Church in the Holy Land, present in Jordan, Palestine, Israel and Cyprus, wish to participate in this beautiful project and journey of evangelisation with you.”
“I hope that this project will lay the groundwork for the realisation of our shared vision of a world at peace with open doors for all peoples.”
With regard to the Jubilee in Rome, Cardinal Pizzaballa said: “Unfortunately, many of our young people will not be able to attend this event in Rome because current political circumstances prevent them from travelling. However, we pray that by 2033, the world will have changed for the better, that it will be a place of peace, and that everyone, from East to West, will enjoy the freedom to gather in Jerusalem with joy.” The Patriarch concluded his speech with an invitation to young people to “share for everyone, with passion and joy, the witness of the Risen Jesus, whom the world today thirsts for.”
“We look forward to the Jubilee of Young People. It is expected that a million young people will arrive from all over the world.” In response to a question from journalists, Monsignor Graziano Borgonovo, Undersecretary of the Dicastery for Evangelisation, gave a preliminary estimate of the number of young people expected to arrive in Rome for their Jubilee (28 July–3 August). He then described the significant efforts being made within the Vatican on fundamental “organisational, logistical, and structural aspects”, along with “the preparations concerning the venues at Tor Vergata.”
“Various events will take place in the city’s squares and in the area near the Vatican in the lead-up to the vigil on Saturday 2 August and the final Mass with the Holy Father on Sunday 3 August in Tor Vergata,” said Borgonovo.
He went on to announce that the ‘Jubilee of Catholic Influencers’ will take place in Rome on 28 and 29 July. This event is being organised by the Dicastery for Communication. “Digital communication”, Borgonovo remarked, “is of crucial importance, so we must also be present in these areas.”
