Young Catholics gathered for the 2025 Australian Catholic Youth Festival in Melbourne were met with an unexpected moment of joy as a surprise video message from Pope Leo XIV was played during the opening plenary on November 30.
Addressing thousands of pilgrims from across Australia, the Pope encouraged them to root their lives in God through “prayer and the sacraments,” calling these the places where “the Father’s voice is heard most clearly.” His message sparked cheers throughout the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, where the festival is taking place under the wider Jubilee theme, “Pilgrims of Hope.”
The three-day gathering opened with a five-kilometer pilgrimage from St. Patrick’s Cathedral to the convention venue, with youth accompanying the World Youth Day Cross and Icon through the city streets as a public witness of faith.
In his remarks, Pope Leo reminded participants that true purpose is discovered in aligning one’s life with God’s plan. Echoing the words of Pope Benedict XVI, he told the young people: “You are not the result of a random process. Each of you is willed, each of you is loved, each of you is necessary.”
The Australian Catholic Youth Festival runs from November 30 to December 2, offering prayer, catechesis, music, testimony, and communal celebration to inspire a new generation of Catholic disciples.
Credit: NCR
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