By Vatican News
At a prayer vigil with young people at Barcelona’s Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium on Tuesday evening, Pope Leo responded to three testimonies touching on conversion, mental health, suffering, violence, and forgiveness.
Addressing a newly baptised young man, Ferran, who spoke of the emptiness he experienced despite pursuing success and recognition, the Pope said that such restlessness is not something to be feared but embraced.
“We are made for the infinite”, he said. “That is why every finite horizon, every step, every achievement – while satisfying us – also propels us forward and invites us to keep searching”.
Pope Leo warned against what he described as the “idolatry of profit and performance” and the “cult of self-image”, calling them “anesthetics designed to numb our conscience and mold it to a certain vision of society”.
Instead, he encouraged young people to cultivate silence and interiority amid a culture of constant distraction.
“Look within”, he urged. “Try not to be overwhelmed by the pace of life and external temptations. Cultivate moments of silence, perhaps pausing for a few minutes each day to read the Gospel and speak with God”.
God in the darkness
The second testimony came from Carmina, a young woman who spoke openly about her struggle with depression and a past suicide attempt. Asking where God can be found when darkness seems absolute, she described receiving what he called a “second chance” at life.
Thanking her for his courage, Pope Leo said mental health is increasingly threatened in societies that consider themselves advanced. “This is a sign that there is something deeply wrong with a certain notion of progress that subjects people to pressures, expectations and tensions that compromise healthy balances”, he said.
Reflecting on Christ’s Passion, the Pope pointed to Jesus’ own experience of anguish, abandonment and suffering. “The Son of God took all the anguish, loneliness and suffering of humanity upon himself, in his own flesh”, he said. “In those dark hours, as he was dying on the cross, Jesus shared our pain and revealed to us the face of a compassionate God”.
The Pope acknowledged that suffering can make it seem as though God is absent, but insisted that the Cross tells a different story. “The cross of Jesus tells us that God does not abandon us, that he is at our side, crucified with us in moments of pain and extreme loneliness”.
At the same time, he cautioned Christians against offering simplistic explanations for suffering. “We must not spiritualize pain, superficially attributing it to ‘God’s will’ or to some mysterious plan of his”, he said. “God does not want suffering. He carries it with us”.
Forgiveness as a journey
The third and final testimony came from a young woman called Cecilia who recounted a childhood marked by domestic violence, addiction, and separation from her family. Having discovered faith through the support she received in a Catholic care centre, she asked how she could forgive her father for attempting to kill her mother and how she could be reconciled with God.
Pope Leo first addressed the question she often asked herself: “Where was God?”
“We cannot attribute to God what has been entrusted to our responsibility”, he said. “We cannot imagine that God, from on high, will automatically respond to our needs or miraculously prevent evil from happening”. Instead, he said, situations of violence should lead society to examine itself.
“If violence exists, if selfishness prevails, if even love among family members turns into hatred, we must question the dynamics of our society, the culture of individualism and the temptation of violence – but not God”.
Turning to forgiveness, the Pope described it not as a single act but as a gradual process. “We must learn to view forgiveness – that powerful remedy for evil that heals our inner wounds – as part of a process and a journey”, he said.
Acknowledging how difficult forgiveness can be for those who have suffered deeply, he stressed that it often begins with asking God to heal the wounded places within the human heart. “We move forward in small steps toward forgiveness”, he said. “Reconciliation with the past is gradual”.
The Pope also clarified that forgiveness does not necessarily mean restoring a previous relationship, particularly where violence has occurred. “We can maintain a good disposition of heart toward the person, reject all forms of hatred or revenge, strive to repair the relationship as much as possible and perhaps pray for him or her”, he said.
Bringing his address and responses to a close, Pope Leo encouraged those carrying painful memories not to lose hope, trusting that God can slowly transform resentment into mercy and compassion.
From night into light
Following the dialogue with the young people, Pope Leo delivered a homily centred on the figure of Nicodemus, describing every person as a “pilgrim in the night”, searching for meaning, truth and love amid life’s uncertainties.
“We are beggars for love; we are truly hungry and thirsty”, he said. “We seek a deeper meaning that will sustain us, inspire us, and help us understand the mystery of our lives”.
The Pope then reflected on the reality that every human being experiences moments of darkness, confusion and doubt, both in life and in faith. Yet rather than seeing these moments as signs of failure, he invited those gathered to view them as opportunities for renewal.
“Nicodemus teaches us that these nights – which accompany our lives, our journey of faith, and the history in which we live – are a time of blessing, a place for rebirth, a womb that always gives birth to new life”, he said.
Pope Leo then went on to note that darkness can strip away the masks people wear and reveal what is essential, creating what he called an “empty space” where God can bring about transformation. “The ‘empty space’ that night creates, even when it takes the form of suffering or dissatisfaction, of disillusionment or unbelief, can be an opportunity to receive new life, to change and be renewed.”
Drawing then on the Gospel account of Jesus’ encounter with Nicodemus, the Pope stressed that God does not approach humanity with condemnation, but with the desire to save and restore. “For this reason, we too are called not to judge the ‘nights’ – neither the nights of our own lives, those of the Church, nor those of the society around us”, he said.
Turning his gaze to contemporary Spain, Pope Leo invited the faithful to reflect honestly on the challenges facing society, including poverty, social division and cultural change, asking what kind of future they wish to build together. “This country may then be a welcoming space for all, where each person’s dignity is respected and everyone loved for who they are”, he said.
Bringing his homily to a close, the Pope encouraged all those present and following from afar to continue searching for God with openness and trust, confident that the light of the Gospel can lead them “from night into light”.
“God does not want anything to be lost,” he concluded. “Even now he desires to give us eternal life and lead us to a happiness that has no end”. – Vatican News
