The Pope For Youth
Pope John Paul II passed away Saturday evening and Catholic youths around the world are mourning his death. Known by some as, "The Pope for Youth," his initiatives, such as the LIFE TEEN ministry and World Youth Days, have served to unify and impart new energy to Catholic youths and others.
When asked by others about his involvement with the youth and what he may speak about during World Youth Days, John Paul II replied, "I'm not going to speak to them, I'm going to listen."
His influence on the youth is felt by LIFE TEEN, which is "the most prolific youth ministry" in the Catholic Church, according to the website. Approximately 120,000 teenagers attend a LIFE TEEN Mass every Sunday, and there are 950 programs in twenty countries.
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Another of the late pontificate's iniatives was World Youth Days. For the past two decades, several hundred thousand young people attend the week-long festivities with the pope. The XX World Youth Day is scheduled to run from August 16 to 21, 2005 in Germany.
Youths worldwide have also been honoring the late pope through web forums online.
"This Pope, perhaps more than any other in history, loved young people…and the young people love [him] back," states a recent release from LIFE TEEN.
"He made me feel that teens are important to the Church," said one student, who concisely stated what other youths also felt.
Another student shared, "We have a book called For The Children, and it's basically a collection of letters and quotes that John Paul II wrote and spoke for us, the children and the young people. He loved us so much, and he was always telling us over and over again so that we would never forget. I know I never will."
A third student wrote, "The whole planet is focused on this one man who defiantly changed the world, especially the young adults. He loved us dearly… [My friends are] talking about when JPII (John Paul II) came to USA for a WYD. The crowed chanted 'JP2 - WE LOVE YOU'...and he said back 'I love you too'... He's amazing. He changed the Roman Catholic Church, and he changed me…"
"JPII is my hero. His confidence in the youth of our generation has given me courage, his acceptance shown me that I'm worth something, his sacrifice taught me what it means to follow Christ, and his holiness inspired me a desire to be a saint that the world will not extinguish," wrote another.
Spokesperson for LIFE TEEN, Jennifer Swanson, agrees, "John Paul II's dedication to the youth of the world has revitalized the face of the Catholic Church."
To John Paul II, the youth "signified everything that is right with the future of the Church" (WYD Toronto 2003).
He called the youth to evangelize and make a difference, and now, as they commemorate his death, they will remember his "commissioning to the youth generation to speak in the face of this culture," "follow Christ," and "love God."
"He did, and the world is forever changed because of it," writes LIFE TEEN.
