The cry of those who shout "crucify him!" the pope said, is the voice "armed with disparagement, slander and false witness. It is the voice of those who twist reality and invent stories for their own benefit, without concern for the good name of other."
Francis said people with this attitude have no problem "spinning facts" and making Jesus look like a criminal. As a result "hope is demolished, dreams are killed, joy is suppressed; the heart is shielded and charity grows cold."
However, faced people who have this attitude, the best remedy, the pope said, "is to look at Christ's cross and let ourselves be challenged by his final cry," which Jesus made as he died for each and every person.
Looking to the cross means to challenge and question oneself about one's actions and choices, including the sensitivity to those who are experiencing difficulty, the pope said, asking: "Where is our heart focused? Does Jesus Christ continue to be a source of joy and praise in our heart, or does its priorities and concerns make us ashamed to look at sinners, the least and forgotten?"
Speaking directly to the young people present, Pope Francis said that like the Pharisees who told Jesus to "rebuke your disciples," there are also people who try to silence and exclude the youth.
"There are many ways to silence young people and make them invisible. Many ways to anesthetize them, to make them keep quiet, ask nothing, question nothing. There are many ways to sedate them, to keep them from getting involved, to make their dreams flat and dreary, petty and plaintive," he said.
However, pointing to Jesus' response that "if these were silent, the very stones would cry out," Francis told youth not to give into the pressure to stay quiet, because "you have it in you to shout."
"It is up to you not to keep quiet," he said, and "even if others keep quiet, if we older people and leaders keep quiet, if the whole world keeps quiet and loses its joy, I ask you: Will you cry out?"
After Mass Pope Francis led pilgrims in praying the Angelus, asking that Mary would help each person to live Holy Week well. "From her we learn the interior silence, the gaze of the heart and loving faith to follow Jesus on the path of the cross, which leads to the joyful light of the Resurrection."
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">"Dear young people, you have it in you to shout. It is up to you to opt for Sunday's 'Hosanna!', so as not to fall into Friday's 'Crucify him!'" <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PopeFrancis?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PopeFrancis</a> <a href="https://t.co/6IaPjO5hGY">pic.twitter.com/6IaPjO5hGY</a></p>— Catholic News Agency (@cnalive) <a href="https://twitter.com/cnalive/status/977837199315099648?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 25, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Elise Harris was senior Rome correspondent for CNA from 2012 to 2018.