Whether there were 500,000 or more or less, it matters little because during the week of the Jubilee of Youth (July 28-August 3) Rome was filled with groups of young people from all over the world. Waving flags and wearing caps, these young people crossed the Holy Doors of Rome’s basilicas, participated in plenary events (above all, the vigil with Pope Leo XIV at Tor Vergata on August 2), national events (in various parishes), and went to confession at the Circus Maximus, etc. In short, they did what the Roman Catholic jubilee is all about: the pilgrimage to Rome and the devotional activities prescribed to obtain an indulgence. In addition, a memorable experience was organized for them.
One thing is certain: there is perhaps no other institution in the world capable of gathering half a million people from all over the world in one place for an entire week. The Roman Catholic Church has demonstrated that it is still capable of bringing together, organizing, and inspiring masses of young people and of “rejuvenating” its language, while always filling it with symbolic and evocative elements that are typical of its religious vision.
Beyond the folkloric and youth-oriented aspects, I followed three moments of the Jubilee of Youth in particular: the meetings of Roman Catholic influencers, the Italian and North American groups, and the final vigil with the Pope.
1. The first moment provided an insight into the world of Roman Catholic initiatives in the digital world: influencers, digital content creators, bloggers, etc., especially in Latin America (Mexico above all), but not only there. The Catholic Church is taking the digital challenge seriously and is seeing a flourishing of many online initiatives. Institutional initiatives (the official information channels of the Vatican and the dioceses) are only a small part of this: what is really thriving are the YouTube channels of lay people and religious figures who, using various languages and targeting different audiences, entertain, feed the religious imagination, and engage in Roman Catholic apologetics.
The speech by Pope Francis’ very influential spin doctor, Jesuit Antonio Spadaro, encapsulates the Catholic vision for the digital age. Using the metaphor of the “fire” that burns within, Spadaro outlined a digital presence of the Roman Catholic Church necessary to “humanize” the world, create dialogue, and foster unity. The digital presence must be made human: this is the mission indicated by Spadaro. It seems to echo, in different words, what Pope Francis said (even if the expression was Benedict XVI’s), namely that the Church grows by attraction, not by proselytism. The Catholic approach must be soft, focusing on commonalities and non-confrontational. There is a noticeable difference between Spadaro’s humanistic, pan-religious, and “Catholic” approach and that of many North American Catholic apologists, who are instead polemical and controversial, I would say “Roman.” I will return to this difference in posture and language later.
2. As already mentioned, the Jubilee of Youth was attended by hundreds of groups from many countries. The Italian group was the largest. It had a significant meeting during the Mass on July 31, where Cardinal Matteo Zuppi gave the homily. In it, the usual words of Italian Catholicism since the time of Pope Francis resounded: “everyone, everyone, everyone is included,” peace, no to weapons, friendship. Occasionally there was a reference to Christ, but outside the biblical context and the Gospel message. It was yet another humanistic approach in line with Spadaro’s speech to influencers.
The tone was different among the group of young North American Catholics. At the meeting held in the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, the experiential language used was evangelical in tone, and the songs (accompanied by guitar and keyboard) could have been sung at an evangelical gathering. Intertwined with these “personal” traits, to which European Catholics are unaccustomed, were the typical markers of Roman Catholic identity: Marian accents, saints, and the Eucharist. The speech by Bishop Robert Barron was emblematic. Barron is a star in the US Catholic online world, as well as a shrewd theologian. In his speech, Barron spoke of “Christ the Lord” using terms that the best evangelical pastor would have been pleased. But then he spoke with great pride, almost with arrogance, of the Roman Catholic Church as the only human organization to have survived throughout history, and of the pope as the only uninterrupted successor of Peter (and Christ). He then urged the youth to encounter Christ in the Eucharist of the Catholic Church and the figure of the pope. Here, the European humanist Roman Catholicism (with its slogans: “we are all included,” “let us love one another,” “let us bring hope to a world at war”) took a back seat. What prevailed was an evangelical-like, yet deeply Roman, language of North American Catholicism.
This is to say that Roman Catholicism speaks different languages with varying religious tones: depending on the context in which it operates, it is able to adapt its message accordingly. In Europe, it resembles that of pacifists and multicultural humanism. In the US, it resembles that of an evangelical denomination. In both cases, the Roman Catholic soul is the standard matrix that shapes everything. The Jubilee of Youth was a stage on which the Roman Catholic Church was at work, speaking her language with different codes and accents.
3. The highlight of the Jubilee of Youth was the prayer vigil with Pope Leo XIV in Tor Vergata. Some reports claim that a million people were present. In the afternoon, a non-stop concert featuring musicians and bands from the international Catholic scene took place. In the evening, the Pope was asked three questions: about friendship, life choices, and how to meet Christ. Regarding the first question, Leo stated that we already have Christ as our friend, assuming that this is a universal condition acquired through baptism. He did not speak of repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, nor did he emphasize the need to reject idols. Regarding the second question, there was noticeable pressure on young people to consider the priestly and religious vocation, perhaps motivated by the fact that the number of priests, friars, and nuns is declining. On the third point, he insisted that Christ is encountered and worshipped in the Eucharist administered by the (Catholic) Church. In his answers, the pope quoted, among others, Augustine, John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and Francis, but there was no intentional invitation to read Scripture.
To summarize, the papal message of the vigil was: “Christ is already in us (through baptism), let us meet him in the Catholic Church where he is truly present (in the Eucharist). For the rest, let us develop our common humanity with all.” While there are some elements taken from the Gospel, their meaning, their combination, the heart of the discourse was Roman Catholic, but not gospel-centered.
Young people were told that Christ is already in them, not received by faith but by a sacrament; that Christ is also in everyone, not because of adherence to the Gospel, but because of a shared humanity; that Christ is present, not in the biblical Word, but in the Eucharist; that they are missionaries, not to witness repentance from sins and faith in Jesus Christ, but to meet their neighbors and develop universal fraternity. It is difficult to imagine that this message would challenge anyone. Everyone feels reinforced in their own way in what they already are: believers, non-believers, and those with differing beliefs; if anything, they are attracted to the Roman Catholic Church, which encompasses everyone. This is the Roman Catholic gospel. Is it the biblical gospel?
