Pope Francis Daily

At 5:30 pm today, March 25, 2017, Pope Francis met with recently confirmed young people in the Meazza-San Siro Stadium of Milan. Roberto Ruozzi, President of the Stadium, received the Pope at the entrance of the establishment.

In the course of the meeting, the Pontiff answered some questions posed by a recently confirmed young man, a married couple and a catechist.

This was the last event on the Pope’s itinerary during his pastoral visit to the northern Italian city before returning to Rome.

Here is a working Zenit translation of the questions posed to the Holy Father and his prepared responses. However, the Holy Father spoke off-the-cuff. Therefore, Zenit will bring our readers his improvised responses to the questions posed once the text has been released and has been translated:

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The Holy Father”€™s answers to some questions asked by a boy

When you were our age, what helped you to have your friendship with Jesus grow?

1: Grandparents 

2: Friends

3: The Parish

Question of a Married Couple

How can we transmit the beauty of the faith to our children? Sometimes it seems truly difficult to be able to talk about this subject without being boring or banal in sharing the faith with them.

You will ask me for the reason for this little exercise. Our children look at us constantly, even if we don”t realize it, they observe us all the time and meanwhile they learn. “Children look at us,” I believe is the title of a film. They know our joys, our sadness and worries. They understand everything and, given that they are very intuitive, they draw their conclusions and their teachings. They know when we set traps for them and when we don”t. Therefore, one of the first things I”ll say to you is: take care of them, take care of their heart, of their joy and of their hope. Your children”s “little eyes” memorize and read gradually with the heart how the faith is one of the best legacies that you have received from your parents, from your ancestors.

Show them how the faith helps you to go on, to face the many dramas we have, not with a pessimistic but a confident attitude, this is the best witness we can give them. There is a saying: “The wind took the words,” but what is sown in the memory, in the heart, stays for ever.

A Catechist”s Question

Our Archbishop has been encouraging us for some time to build “educating communities,” where fraternal sharing between catechists, coaches, parents and teachers supports the common educational task. What advice can you give us to open ourselves to listening and to dialogue with all the educators who have something to do with our youngsters?

At the end of the meeting, the Holy Father went to the Milan-Linate airport from where, at 6:30 pm he took leave of the personalities that received him in the morning, to return to Rome. He is due to land in the Rome-Fiumicino airport at 7:30 pm. Then the Pope will return to the Vatican.