Pope Leo XIV draws more than 50,000 Peruvian youths to a soccer stadium: ‘Be passionate about everything worth fighting for’

More than 50,000 young people waited on Thursday to see Pope Leo XIV at Lima’s National Stadium. They had come from the coast, the highlands and the jungle to see up close the U.S.-born pontiff who lived for two decades among Peruvians until he became one of them, too.They wanted to see the 71-year-old man who, after undergoing surgery, still insisted on boarding a plane from the Vatican to carry out his mission in South America. Perhaps those young people saw something of themselves in the stubbornness of someone who, for a week, has not stopped blessing foreheads, giving hugs and offering messages filled with hope, while calmly pointing to the wounds the Church has still failed to heal.All four grandstands as well as the pitch at the National Stadium were packed. After all, stadiums are also Sunday temples, with their devotees and their own forms of faith. Only this evening the stands breathed an unprecedented calm, unusual for a venue where soccer usually stirs far stronger passions.There were no banners honoring the millionaires who earn a living kicking a ball, only signs with petitions addressed to Leo XIV. “My first nephew is on the way. Would you bless him?” read one. “We’re getting married — bless us, Holy Father,” asked another. “I want to buy a little house. Help me,” pleaded a third. Others didn’t ask for a blessing but for prayers. A group of girls held a sign that seemed to sum up the romantic uncertainties of an entire generation: “Pope Leo, I’m not afraid of marriage, but please pray that the right person comes along.”Around six in the evening the shouting began. Leo XIV entered the athletics track at the National Stadium aboard his Popemobile. No one remained in their seat. Some joined their hands. Others kept waving in the hope of being seen. And others simply did not put down their phones. Peru’s red-and-white flag fluttered in the stands, as did flags from Venezuela and Chile.The cry “This is the pope’s youth,” echoed through the coliseum in central Lima. Pastoral groups from Peru’s various dioceses were present, but so were young people who had come on their own and who do not necessarily practice the Catholic faith.From above, a cross was traced on the pitch. Two giant screens flanked the stage. As evening advanced, the darkness lit up with plastic candles and the lights of cellphones that resembled an army of fireflies. “The youth present with this heart open for you, Lord,” the choir sang. “Take me where hope is missing, where joy is missing simply because they don’t know you,” the song continued as Pope Leo XIV looked on.It cannot be said that in his former life, before appearing on the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica on Friday, May 8, 2025, Robert Prevost was not close to young people. One could assemble a collection of Prevost albums with his youngsters in Chulucanas, Trujillo and Chiclayo. It is no coincidence that his personal secretary, Edgar Rimaycuna, is a monsignor just 37 years old with whom he plays tennis in Castel Gandolfo.One of the most significant moments of the day came with the address by Lima’s archbishop, Cardinal Carlos Castillo. In the midst of the celebration, the prelate recalled Inti Sotelo and Bryan Pintado — two 20-year-olds who were shot dead during the November 2020 protests as a result of police repression. “In the recent history we have lived in our country and in our city, young people often took to the streets to protest and in some cases were shot at. There are two martyrs: Inti and Bryan,” he said.Castillo recounted that after the repression many young people withdrew and found in dance a form of expression amid fear. They began dancing in the plazas, and that movement grew until it reached the parishes. “Dance groups have grown everywhere. Now every parish has dance groups. Our God is the God who dances for you,” the cardinal said.Then came the testimonies. A young woman who lost a dozen relatives and clung to faith to keep dreaming. A nun who was abused by a member of the Church. The vigil continued with a theatrical performance that staged the ills afflicting young people, driving them to the brink of collapse. Music lightened up the evening. There were violin chords and scissors dancers — a ritual originating in the Peruvian Andes.At almost 7:30 p.m., Pope Leo XIV took the floor. “Someone told me that Peru needs hope. You are the sign of hope,” he said, and the National Stadium responded with an ovation. He then addressed the young people with a message that mixed consolation and exhortation: “Dear young people, when you suffer, turn to Jesus. Do not be afraid to speak to him with sincerity. He knows our tears. He knows the questions we still do not know how to answer. Seek the company of those who love you. There are pains that need a friendly faith.”The pope also encouraged them not to give up on their aspirations or to live under others’ expectations. “Be passionate about everything worth fighting for. Cultivate your talents. Discover the richness of your culture. Do not settle for living according to what others expect of you. God created you able to achieve a common good that no one else can accomplish,” he told them. His message ended with an invitation to those convinced they have no salvation: “It is not too late to start again. Look to Jesus. He knows your story and keeps inviting you to walk with him.”Pope Leo XIV’s words found an echo among the 52,000 young people who filled the National Stadium. For a few hours, the energy of thousands of youngsters merged with that of a 71-year-old pope who does not want to stop. Perhaps that, too, is a form of youth: not giving up on moving forward.Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAÍS USA Edition