"Many young people confuse happiness with a sofa." Francis spoke clearly and directly to the new generations from the beginning, as he demonstrated with these words during the World Youth Day in 2016 in Krakow; he encouraged them to abandon "sofa-happiness" and idle hours in front of screens, to rise and "decide their future before others do it for them."
Gilberto, Filippo, Nicola, and Luca - aged between 14 and 15 - are not exactly lying on that "comfortable" sofa the Pope used as a metaphor, but on the hard and uneven cobblestone floor of St. Peter's Square. They rest their heads on each other's laps forming a sort of puzzle and shield themselves from the sun with hats and T-shirts from their diocese, that of Sabona, which has brought 250 young people to Rome to participate in the Jubilee of Adolescents. The second novendial mass begins, celebrated a day after the Pope's funeral and burial by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, one of the favorites to be elected in the conclave starting this Wednesday.
"Francis was the Pope of our generation. He is the one we have known since we were born, that is why his death has caused a great shock among young people," explain the boys, who due to their age belong to the so-called Generation Z and Alpha (the latter, born from 2010 onwards and the first completely digital).
During his Pontificate, Francis has managed to be perceived as a figure closer to youth than his predecessor, Benedict XVI. The use of a more accessible language and a broader approach to their concerns has made them "feel heard." Regarding the conclave, the sentiment is unanimous: "We hope the next one will be like him, who connects with us."
The Argentine has been the first Pope to promote the Jubilee of Adolescents. Nearly 100,000 people from all over Italy, but also from other countries, gathered in Rome on April 27 to attend the canonization of Carlo Acutis, the first 'millennial' saint, and were hoping to see the Pope in St. Peter's Square. Their presence in the Italian capital was so numerous that some of them were accommodated in a military base in the city.
Pablo and Gonzalo, aged 16 and 17, are from Ciudad Real and occupy a privileged place to listen to the mass officiated by Parolin, on one side of the altar, alongside their group of Spaniards from the Work of San Juan de Ávila: "We came for Acutis' canonization, but it had to be changed to a funeral...". Like most of the young people who crowded the capital that weekend, they had the opportunity to attend Francis' farewell in St. Peter's Square. "It was evident that he was a very beloved Pope. The cardinals must rise to the occasion in the conclave," they assert.
Indeed, the cardinals hold in their hands the choice of a new Pontiff who meets the expectations of the younger generation and maintains their enthusiasm for the Catholic Church, which in recent years has experienced a decline in the number of faithful, especially in Europe. But at Francis' funeral, there were also the men and women who will decide today the future of the world that these young people will inherit. "Since it was in Italian, we didn't fully understand parts of the homily at the funeral, but we liked the solemnity and the people's reaction. At the moment of the peace greeting, a man started shouting 'Peace, peace!' so that the politicians would exchange peace. To the world leaders present there, we would ask the same: peace."
From Plasencia, Rubén has also traveled with 14 other boys from his diocese: "We are the youth of Francis. To the cardinals, I would say to keep doing the same, to approach young people so that Christianity is never lost, which is very beautiful," expresses the 15-year-old boy who will remember Francis "as a person worth following."
Concern for social issues has characterized Francis' Pontificate. "We live in times marked by dramatic situations that generate despair and prevent us from looking to the future with serenity: the tragedy of war, social injustices, inequalities, hunger, the exploitation of human beings and creation," he said in his message to the young people of the world at the World Youth Day in 2024. "Often, those who pay the highest price are you young people, who perceive the uncertainty of the future and do not see clear possibilities for your dreams, thus running the risk of living without hope, prisoners of boredom and sadness, sometimes drawn by the illusion of delinquency and destructive behaviors."
Among the cardinals who will enter the conclave on Wednesday, there are seven under 55 years old. Mykola Bychok, prelate of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church in Melbourne, is at 45 years old the youngest of the 133 cardinals with voting rights. Any of them could make a good impression to maintain youthful fervor, but the reality is that popes are usually elected at an older age to represent a broader spectrum of the 1.4 billion Catholics.
For Ana and Gloria, aged 16 and 13, it is nevertheless crucial that the next Pope prioritizes young people because they "are the future." "It is fair that the cardinals choose a Pontiff who cares for everyone, but ultimately we are the ones who will move forward," they assert.
Not only the new generations bet on continuity on the throne of St. Peter. "Even grandmothers!" exclaims a group of women "between 60 and 70-something" from the San José Obrero parish in La Rioja. "It is important that the new Pope has the same thoughts and follows the same line as Francis, who was a person close and very modern, ahead of his time. He has given much more freedom than the other popes, and that is why he has connected with the young people. They are the ones who have to lift up the Church," they point out to the hordes of teenagers surrounding them.
"That there are 100,000 young people today in this square is a sign that God truly exists. It gives a lot of hope to see so many people seeking the same as us," enthuse Ignacio, Anna, and Ellen, aged between 17 and 14. "We live in environments where there are few Christians and sometimes at school they pick on us for our beliefs. There is always someone who makes a comment: the Christians of the moment. Sometimes they laugh, or you can feel isolated or different, but here you feel like yourself," these Madrid residents from the parish of Villanueva de la Cañada share.
Like most teenagers who share space and beliefs in St. Peter's Square, they came to Rome for Acutis' canonization. The young man who died in 2006 at the age of 15 due to a fulminant leukemia used his computer knowledge to document online over 100 Eucharistic miracles and Marian apparitions recognized by the Church.
The body of Acutis is exposed in the church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Assisi, where he requested to be buried due to his admiration for Saint Francis of Assisi, the saint of poverty after whom the Argentine Pontiff took his name. Also known as the 'influencer of God' or the 'cyberapostle,' he represents an example to follow for these young people in a digital world not devoid of dangers for them such as cyberbullying, social comparison, mental health issues, or addiction.
"There is much good on the internet; if you seek it, you will find it. You can fall and rise a thousand times from social media, but always with the hope that when you mess up and look at things you shouldn't or that harm you, you know that a guy like you is holy for knowing how to use social media," share the group of people from Madrid, who are not unaware of the debate about the use of digital devices among their generation.
Against all odds, they affirm that they experienced the death of Francis as "a gift" because they were able to witness a historic moment. "We loved the affection that Francis had for the youth because they are the future of the Church. Even atheists respected him for all that he conveyed. We want it to continue like this. May the next one be a Pope who creates unity." It is worth noting that 83% of Spanish youth praise the work of Francis at the helm of the Church, according to the survey by Sigma Dos for EL MUNDO.
"In the homily of his funeral, they were praying to end wars, and those who can do it were present, although they probably won't do anything later. But we are in this life to be happy. They hold in their hands the world we will inherit. We would ask them to take something from here. To accept others as they are, to seek deeper, because in the end, the world belongs to everyone," they conclude.