Vatican City, Nov 16, 2012 / 11:43 am
In anticipation of next July's World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro, Pope Benedict XVI is challenging young Catholics to be courageous missionaries to their peers.
"Dear young people, I would ask all of you to hear, in the depths of your heart, Jesus' call to proclaim his Gospel," the Pope said in a message issued Nov. 16.
Over 4,000 words long, his message meditated on the theme of the next World Youth Day, "Go and make disciples of all nations!" (Mt. 28:19). He urged young Catholics to live the universal Christian vocation to help others to know and love Christ and his Church.
The Pope emphasized that youth can be particularly effective missionaries by using their love for social media to proclaim their Catholic faith and values. This is an important way they can advance the New Evangelization discussed at last month's synod of bishops in Rome, he noted.