Pope’s words to young people in Havana

Pope Francis on Sunday urged young Cubans to follow a path of hope, built on solidarity and encounter with others.

The Pope’s words came in a meeting with several thousand young students gathered at the Fr Felix Varela cultural centre in Havana at the end of his first full day in the Cuban capital. The centre, set up in 2011 by the local Archdiocese with the support of the Pontifical Council for Culture, offers courses in theology, philosophy, sociology, psychology and business administration. It also houses conferences, concerts, exhibitions and co-sponsors Havana’s Latin American film festival.

After listening to the Rector and a young student share their hopes for the future of their country, the Pope spoke off-the-cuff encouraging them to keep alive their dreams and to focus on the things that unite, rather than the things which divide them.

The Pope also spoke about the problem of youth unemployment and the need for young people to create a culture of encounter, urging the students to keep their hearts and minds open, rather than being closed in on themselves.

In his prepared text meanwhile, Pope Francis shared with the students three ways of finding the path of hope in their lives – firstly, by drawing on the memory of their spiritual and moral heritage. Secondly, by journeying together with others and thirdly by showing solidarity, without which, he said, “no country has a future”.

Vatican Radio