Pope sends message of hope and encouragement to young participants of UNIV 2025 in Rome

As young people from around the world gather in Rome for UNIV 2025, Pope Francis has sent a heartfelt message encouraging them to deepen their faith and become bearers of hope in today's world.

UNIV is an annual academic and cultural conference that has brought together university students from various countries since 1968. The initiative, inspired and promoted by Opus Dei, seeks to foster intellectual formation, intercultural dialogue, and spiritual growth.

Participants engage in lectures, discussions, and cultural visits, culminating in a more profound encounter with the Church and the universal call to holiness.

This year’s conference, held from April 12 to 20, takes place during a landmark period for the Catholic Church—coinciding with the Holy Year 2025 and the centenary of the priestly ordination of Saint Josemaría Escrivá, the founder of Opus Dei. The dual Jubilee events have imbued UNIV 2025 with a spirit of reflection, gratitude, and renewal.

In a message dated April 8 and addressed from the Basilica of St. John Lateran, Pope Francis wrote:

“How many reasons to give thanks to God and to continue to journey enthusiastically in faith, diligent in charity, and persevering in hope!”

The Holy Father expressed his joy and closeness to the participants, praying that their time in Rome may be a true pilgrimage—one that moves hearts toward mission and deepens their commitment to spreading the Good News.

“I join in your joy and accompany you with my prayer,” the pope said. “May this time of pilgrimage and fraternal encounter impel you to bring to all the Gospel of Jesus Christ, who died and rose again, as the proclamation of the hope that fulfills the promises, leads to glory, and, founded on love, does not disappoint.”

He concluded his message with a paternal blessing and a humble request:

“May Jesus bless you and the Holy Virgin watch over you. And I ask you, please do not forget to pray for me.”

With thousands of youth attending from across continents, UNIV 2025 continues to serve as a unique space for young Catholics to grow in faith, formation, and fellowship, echoing the Jubilee Year’s universal invitation to “Pilgrims of Hope.”