Pope Leo XIV spoke to teenagers during a digital encounter at Lucas Oil Stadium on Friday in Indianapolis during the 2025 National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC).
Five teenagers asked the pope questions regarding using technology, recovering from mistakes, giving worries to Jesus, avoiding distractions, and preparing for the future of the Church. The pope gave guidance to the young crowd with words applicable to both teenagers and the universal Church.
The Holy Father’s advice that Catholics can apply to their lives included:
Sin Never has the Final Word
“All of us struggle,” Pope Leo said. “The truth is that none of us is perfect.”
“St. Paul teaches that everyone has sinned and fallen short of the glory of God … Because of original sin, we sometimes do the opposite of what we know is right. But there’s good news. Sin never has the final word,” the pope said.
“Whenever we ask for God’s mercy, he forgives us,” he said. “God never gets tired of forgiving. We sometimes get tired of asking for forgiveness. So even when we fall again, we should remember St. Paul’s words, ‘Christ Jesus, came into the world to save sinners.’ He came for us, knowing our weaknesses,” he said.
“We may struggle to forgive, but God’s heart is different. God never stops inviting us back. We experience this mercy of God in a special way in the sacrament of reconciliation,” the pope said.
Give Your Worries to God
“In his first letter, St. Peter tells us to give all our worries to Jesus because He cares for us,” Pope Leo said. “Jesus does not just understand our struggles from a distance. He actually wants us to hand them to him because he loves us.”
“That trust starts when we have a real relationship. We cannot give our problems to someone whom we barely know. Think of your closest friends, for example. If they were hurting, you would talk to them. You would listen to them. You would stay close. Our relationship with Jesus is similar,” he said.
“He knows when life feels heavy. Scripture reminds us that He is near to the brokenhearted. Even when we do not feel His presence, our faith tells us that He is there. To entrust our struggles to Jesus, we have to spend time with Him in prayer. We have to have a relationship with Him,” he said.
Find Real Friends
Pilgrims from the Diocese of Harrisburg pose for a photo outside of the Indiana Convention Center.“It’s … important to pray for the gift of true friends,” the pope said. “A real friend is not only someone who’s fun to be with, oh, that is good, too. But it’s someone who helps you grow closer to Jesus, someone who encourages you to become a better person. Good friends also push us to seek help when life gets difficult or confusing.”
“Good friends will always tell us the truth, even when that’s not easy to do. Scripture says that faithful friends are like a strong shelter and a treasure. I hope you are forming friendships like that, even during this conference. Friendships rooted in faith, rooted in love for Jesus,” the pope said.
It’s OK to Get Distracted, but Come Back to God
When we get distracted in prayer, “sometimes the best thing to do is to follow the distraction for a moment, see why it’s there,” Pope Leo said. Then after acknowledging it, “turn back and remember why you’re there and why you’re in prayer and to say to the Lord, ‘Look I’m distracted right now. I know you understand.’”
“But not to allow yourself to be taken too far away, especially during prayer, because there are all kinds of temptations and all kinds of distractions, but there’s only one Jesus Christ, and we really need to give our time also in prayer to Christ,” the pope said.
Technology Should Serve Your Life, Not the Other Way Around
Pope Leo XIV speaks to thousands of teens during a digital encounter at Lucas Oil Stadium as part of this year’s NCYC gathering.“Technology can really help in many ways,” and it “can help us live our Christian faith,” Pope Leo said. “It lets us stay connected with people who are far away … It also gives us amazing tools for prayer, for reading the Bible, for learning more about what we believe.”
“It allows us to share the Gospel with people we may never meet in person. But even with all that, technology can never replace real in-person relationships. Simple things, a hug, a handshake, a smile. All those things are essential to being human,” he said.
“Watching Mass online can be helpful, especially when someone is sick or elderly or cannot attend in person. But actually being there, taking part in the Eucharist, is so important for our prayer, for our sense of community,” the pope said.
“It’s essential for our relationship with God and with each other. There’s nothing that can replace true human presence, being with one another. While technology certainly can connect us, it’s not the same as being physically present.”
Jesus Will Always Protect, Guide and Love His Church
“When we face challenges or worries about the future, it might be good to remember that promise that Jesus once made to Peter when he said, ‘The gates of hell will not prevail against the Church.’ Jesus will always protect, guide, and love His Church,” the pope said.
“The day I was elected pope, I said, ‘God loves us, and evil will not prevail,’” the pope said. “We are all in God’s hands. Jesus wants everyone to come close to Him.”
“The Church prepares for the future by staying faithful to what Jesus asks of us today. He told us not to be overwhelmed by worries but to seek first the kingdom of God, trusting that everything else will fall into place. He promised that the Holy Spirit would guide us and help us understand what we need to do,” the pope said.
Be Involved
Diocesan pilgrims share their excitement as they arrive at NCYC in Indianapolis.Pope Leo encouraged involvement in the Church, especially among youth. “You are not only the future of the Church, you are the present,” he said to teens.
“If you want to help the Church prepare for the future, start by being involved today. Stay connected to your parish, attend Sunday Mass, join youth activities and say yes to opportunities … where your faith can grow,” he said.
“Your voices, your ideas, your faith matter right now, and the Church needs you. The Church needs what you have been given to share with all of us,” he said.
“The more you come to know Jesus, the more you will want to serve him and his Church. One great way to build up the Church is by sharing your faith, teaching the faith to others, helping others who need you,” the pope said.
Your Vocation is Always Connected to the Greater Mission of the Church
“As you discern your vocation, trust Jesus. He knows how to lead you to true happiness. If you open your heart, you will hear him calling you to holiness,” Pope Leo said.
“As Pope Benedict XVI once said, ‘Jesus takes nothing away, and he gives you everything.’ When we give ourselves to him, we receive far more than we could ever imagine,” he said.
“If you think you may be called to marriage, pray for a spouse who will help you grow in holiness, help you grow in your faith,” the pope said.
“Some of you may be called to the priesthood to serve God’s people through the word and sacraments. If you feel that tug in your heart, don’t ignore it. Bring it to Jesus. Speak with a priest you trust,” Pope Leo said.
“Others may be called to consecrated religious life, to be witnesses of a joyful life completely given to God. If you sense this call, that gentle tug, do not be afraid,” he said.
We Were Made for Something Greater
“Now is the time to dream big, be open to what God can do through your lives. Being young often comes with the desire to do something meaningful, something that makes a real difference. Many of you are ready to be generous, to help those who love, to work for something greater than yourself,” the pope said.
“That is why it is not true that life is only about doing what feels good to yourself, makes you feel comfortable, as some people claim it. Sure, comfort can be nice, but as Pope Benedict XVI reminded us: ‘We weren’t made for comfort. We were made for greatness. We were made for God himself,’” he said.
“Deep down, we long for truth, for beauty, and goodness, because we were created for them,” Pope Leo said.
Don’t Use Political Categories to Speak about Faith
“Joy, hope, with creativity, authentic witnesses in the Gospel can help heal and unite humanity,” Pope Leo said. “Jesus also calls us disciples to be peacemakers — people who build bridges instead of walls, people who value dialogue and unity instead of division.”
“Please be careful not to use political categories to speak about faith, to speak about the Church. The Church doesn’t belong to any political party. Rather, she helps form your conscience … so you can think and act with wisdom and love. As you go closer to Jesus, do not fear what he might ask of you,” the pope said
16,000 Teens Go Forth after NCYC’s Closing Mass
The 2025 National Catholic Youth Conferences (NCYC) concluded with a nighttime Mass drawing around 16,000 teenagers on November 22.
Diocesan pilgrims look on during a candlelight procession at the National Catholic Youth Conference.Youth from across the Diocese of Harrisburg were among the thousands at the annual conference.
After three days of prayer, community, sacraments, and a conversation with Pope Leo XIV, young Catholics packed into Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis to end the conference with Mass. Archbishop Nelson Pérez of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia told CNA it was “beautiful” to celebrate the Mass alongside 25 of his brother bishops and more than 240 priests.
“It’s the Church in its splendor,” Archbishop Pérez said. “Tonight, we experienced the Church in its splendor.”
The final Mass was celebrated on the Saturday before the solemnity of Christ the King. In his homily, Archbishop Pérez said: “When I think about a king, I think about palaces and big thrones and power and authority.”
“But when Jesus talks about king it’s … different,” Archbishop Pérez said. “His throne is a cross. His crown is not made of gold and gems. It’s made of thorns. He doesn’t wear fancy, beautiful, priceless rings on his hands. He has nails.”
The “very mystery of the life and the death of Christ, the King, and all of our lives is actually a dying and a rising — dying to sin, dying to the parts of our humanity that might be warped and wounded, and rising to new life to renewal of our soul.”
Then “that process goes over and over, over and over and over again until we die in Christ for the last time and then rise with him,” Archbishop Pérez said. “How blessed, how filled with hope we are.”
The archbishop concluded his homily by tying his message back to what Pope Leo told the teens in his digital encounter with them on November 21. He told the teenagers Pope Leo spoke with them because he loves them.
Pope Leo has “gathered with youth all over the place, especially this summer, [during] the Jubilee of Youth,” Archbishop Pérez said. The pope’s “message is profound, powerful, and simple at the same time: ‘Christ loves you just as you are.’”
Archbishop Pérez reminded the crowd to listen to what the pope said to them. “Think of your closest friends. If they were hurting, you would walk with them, listen, and stay close,” the pope said. “Our relationship with Jesus is similar. He knows when life feels heavy, even when we do not feel his presence, our faith tells us He is there.”
“‘Little by little, we learn to hear his voice, both from within and through the people he sends us. As you grow closer to Jesus,’ he said to us, ‘Do not fear what he may ask of you. If he challenges you to make changes in your life, it’s always because he wants to give you greater joy and freedom. God is never outdone in generosity.’”
(Photo of Pope Francis by Tessa Gervasini, CNA. Photos of Diocesan participants courtesy of Diocesan pilgrims.)
By Tessa Gervasini, Catholic News Agency
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