On the crisp autumn days closing out October 2025, the marble halls of the Vatican echoed with the voices of young people from across the globe. Pope Leo XIV, known for his candid approach and deep concern for the next generation, convened with the International Youth Advisory Body (IYAB) in Rome—a group of 20 young adults who serve as advisers to the Dicastery for Laity, the Family and Life. Their four-day meeting, which began on October 28, culminated with an extraordinary session on October 31 and a follow-up on November 1, where the Pope addressed the group in English, both extemporaneously and through prepared remarks.
The timing was no accident. As the world becomes increasingly digital, the Church faces a unique challenge: how to keep faith alive and vibrant in an age where screens often replace face-to-face connection. Pope Leo XIV’s message was clear and urgent—young people must resist the temptation to live their faith in isolation, especially in the era of social media.
According to Vatican News, the Pope acknowledged the changing landscape: “In recent years, many young people have approached the faith through social media, successful programs, and popular online Christian witnesses.” But he offered a word of caution, warning that a faith discovered online can become “limited to individual experiences, which may be intellectually and emotionally reassuring, but are never ‘embodied.’” The risk, he said, is that these experiences remain “disembodied, detached from the ‘ecclesial body,’” and not lived “alongside others in real-life situations, relationships or sharing.”
Pope Leo did not mince words about the dangers of digital echo chambers. He observed that “all too often, social media algorithms merely create a sounding board for individuals, picking up on personal preferences and tastes, and ‘sending them back’ magnified and enriched with appealing proposals.” In such a space, “everyone remains alone with themselves, prisoners of their own inclinations and projections.” It’s a predicament familiar to many young people—scrolling endlessly, feeling connected yet profoundly alone.
But what’s the antidote? For Pope Leo, the answer is lived synodality. He urged the young advisers to embrace “experiences of lived synodality,” which he described as the means to “overcome the barriers of the self and encourage young people to become effective members of the family of Jesus Christ.” Synodality—walking together, listening, and discerning as a community—is not just a buzzword for Church bureaucrats, the Pope insisted. For the next generation, it’s a lifeline.
During the meeting, the Pope’s prepared speech was handed out rather than read aloud, allowing for a more spontaneous and heartfelt exchange. The text, as reported by the Catholic News Service, emphasized the role of young people as essential members of a synodal Church—one that “listens to all members, prays and discerns together, and calls on each person to contribute their talents.”
“Authentic synodality leads to mission,” Pope Leo wrote. “All of this requires that you, young people, have open hearts, ready to listen both to the ‘inspirations’ of the Spirit and the deep ‘aspirations’ of each person.” He implored them to “look beyond appearances in order to seek the true answers that give meaning to life. You must have hearts that are open to God’s call and not engrossed in your own plans and are willing to understand and sympathize before forming judgments.”
The Pope’s vision for youth participation was not just inward-looking. He called on the IYAB to be voices for the voiceless—“the weak, the poor, and the lonely, refugees and those who struggle to integrate into society, or to access educational opportunities.” Too often, he lamented, “these voices are drowned out by the noise of the powerful, the successful and those who live in ‘exclusive’ realities.” It’s a sobering reminder that, even within the Church, some stories go unheard.
Yet, Pope Leo’s message was also one of empowerment. He encouraged the young people to be “leaders of creativity and courage,” unafraid to forge new paths in the Church’s mission. “Being missionary,” he wrote, “entails freedom from fear, because the Lord loves to call us to forge new paths.”
He made it clear that authentic participation in the Church springs from a spiritual source, not from ideology or politics. “Where does authentic ecclesial participation come from? I would say that it stems from being close to the Heart of Christ. Its origin, then, is spiritual, not ideological or political,” the Pope wrote in his prepared remarks. He urged the group to look with compassion on the hopes, dreams, and difficulties of their peers, asking them to imagine “how the Church, inspired by faith, can go out to meet them.”
The Pope’s gratitude for the work of the IYAB was palpable. He thanked them for their dedication, noting that their efforts “will provide new energy and momentum to the missionary heart of the Church.” He reminded them that their work is part of a broader spiritual youth movement, encompassing World Youth Day and countless local ministries, which together “keep the Church forever young.”
In a particularly moving passage, Pope Leo invited the young advisers to become “friends of Jesus through prayer, the Sacraments, and daily life.” This, he said, would allow them to “begin to feel as He feels”—to be “concerned for, and touched by, the suffering of others, their needs and aspirations.” Such involvement, he wrote, “is also a sign of human and spiritual maturity. While children are only concerned with their own needs, mature persons know how to share the problems of others and make them their own.”
The International Youth Advisory Body, with members like Sally Yasmine from Montreal and Wyatt Olivas from Wyoming, serves three-year terms advising the Vatican on issues central to the Church’s mission. Their gathering in Rome was more than just a meeting—it was a testament to the Church’s commitment to listening to young people, valuing their insights, and empowering them to shape the future.
As the session concluded, the sense of purpose among the young advisers was unmistakable. Pope Leo’s words, both spoken and written, challenged them to step beyond the safe confines of online faith and to build real, embodied communities. His call was not just for the IYAB, but for young Catholics everywhere: don’t settle for a faith lived alone. Join the journey, listen deeply, and let your compassion move you to action.
In the heart of Rome, under the watchful gaze of centuries of tradition, a new generation was reminded that faith, at its best, is not a solitary endeavor. It’s a shared adventure—messy, beautiful, and always unfolding.
