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Young Catholics in Europe have launched a decade-long evangelization project with the release of a manifesto in Rome, urging the Church to accompany them with confidence and conviction.
Presented July 2 at the Holy See Press Office, the “Manifesto of Young Christians in Europe” lays the foundation for a journey that begins with the 2025 Jubilee of Young People and continues through major pilgrimage stops until 2033, Sir Agenzia D’informazione reported.
“We are not spiritual tourists. We are pilgrims searching for meaning,” the manifesto begins. “Our backpacks are filled with doubts, wounds, songs, and hope. But we also carry a certainty in our hearts: Christ is alive. And he calls us.”
The initiative — titled “Rome 2025 – Santiago de Compostela 2027 – Jerusalem 2033” — was spearheaded by the Spanish Episcopal Conference and now includes support from bishops’ conferences, dioceses, and Church movements throughout Europe.
Organizers will formally proclaim the manifesto Aug. 1 at the Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere, the evening before the Jubilee begins.
The manifesto offers an appeal to Church leaders: “We ask the Church to trust us. Allow us to make mistakes, to serve, and to grow. We ask for authentic paths, vibrant communities and shepherds who will walk alongside us.”
It also speaks directly to peers: “Do not quench your thirst. Do not settle for a life without truth.”
The effort emphasizes a lived faith — one that is carried into the world through music, art, social media, and everyday presence.
“We have chosen to proclaim,” the text says. “Not with empty words, but with lives lived with authenticity. Through music, social media, art, silence and presence. With a faith that does not impose, but proposes.”
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, addressed the launch via video, affirming the desire of young Christians in the Holy Land to participate, despite political obstacles that may keep many from attending in person.
“We, the young people and the adults of this small Church in the Holy Land, need your witness and spiritual closeness now more than ever,” he said.
Looking toward the long arc of the initiative, he expressed hope that “by 2033, the world will have changed for the better.”
The Vatican estimates that 1 million young people could gather in Rome for the Jubilee of Young People, scheduled from July 28 to Aug. 3.
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