VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXII - # 012
DATE 18-01-2015

Summary:
- Francis to Filipino youth: act with integrity, honesty, and do not be afraid
to love
- The Pope meets the father of the volunteer who died in Tacloban
- Concluding Mass in Manila: the child Jesus, protector of the Philippines

___________________________________________________________

 Francis to Filipino youth: act with integrity, honesty, and do not be afraid
to love
 Vatican City, 18 January 2015 (VIS) - The Pope visited the Pontifical and
Royal University of Santo Tomas to meet with the leaders of the main religious
confessions represented in the Philippines. Currently attended by forty
thousand students, the University of Santo Tomas is managed by Dominican
Fathers, and it is the largest and oldest university in Asia. It recently
celebrated the fourth centenary of its foundation and has received the
patronage of the Spanish crown since 1680.
 Upon arrival the Pope was received by the chancellor and the rector, and
greeted the religious leaders. Shortly after he toured the campus by
Popemobile to greet the ten thousand students who awaited him. He then
proceeded to the sports field, able to hold thirty thousand people, where he
gave an off-the-cuff address in Spanish, answering various questions such as
"Why do children suffer?", "How does one live true love?", "How can one
contribute professionally to compassion and mercy without falling prey to
materialism?".
 Beforehand, the Holy Father shared with those present the sad news of the
death of the young volunteer Kristel Padasas in Tacloban yesterday. "She was
27 years old; she was young, like you, and worked for an association. I would
like us all to pray in silence a minute and then invoke our heavenly Mother.
And let us pray also for her parents".
 The original text of the Pope's planned discourse is published below:
 "Dear young friends, it is a joy for me to be with you this morning. I greet
each of you from the heart, and I thank all those who made this meeting
possible. During my visit to the Philippines, I wanted to meet with young
people, to listen to you and to talk with you. I want to express the love and
the hopes of the Church for you. And I want to encourage you, as Christian
citizens of this country, to offer yourselves passionately and honestly to the
great work of renewing your society and helping to build a better world.
 "In a special way, I thank the young people who have offered words of welcome
to me. They have expressed eloquently, in your name, your concerns and
worries, your faith and your hopes. They have spoken of the difficulties and
the expectations of the young. Although I cannot respond to each of these
issues at length, I know that, together with your pastors and among
yourselves, you will prayerfully consider them and make concrete proposals for
action in your lives.
 "Today I would like to suggest three key areas where you have a significant
contribution to make to the life of your country. The first of these is the
challenge of integrity. The word 'challenge' can be understood in two ways.
First, it can be understood negatively, as a temptation to act against your
moral convictions, what you know to be true, good and right. Our integrity can
be challenged by selfish interest, greed, dishonesty, or the willingness to
use other people.
 "But the word 'challenge' can be also understood positively. It can be seen
as invitation to courage, a summons to bear prophetic witness to what you
believe and hold sacred. In this sense, the challenge of integrity is
something which you have to face now, at this time in your lives. It is not
something you can put off until you are older or have greater re
ponsibilities. Even now you are challenged to act with honesty and fairness in
your dealings with others, young and old alike. Do not avoid the challenge!
One of the greatest challenges young people face is learning to love. To love
means to take a risk: the risk of rejection, the risk of being taken advantage
of, or worse, of taking advantage of another. Do not be afraid to love! But in
love, too, maintain your integrity! Here too, be honest and fair!
 "In the reading we have just heard, Paul tells Timothy: 'Let no one have
contempt for your youth, but set an example for those who believe, in speech,
conduct, love, faith, and purity'. You are called, then, to set a good
example, an example of integrity. Naturally, in doing this, you will encounter
opposition, negativity, discouragement, and even ridicule. But you have
received a gift which enables you to rise above those difficulties. It is the
gift of the Holy Spirit. If you nurture this gift by daily prayer and draw
strength from sharing in the Eucharist, you will be able to achieve that moral
greatness to which Jesus calls you. You will also be a compass for those of
your friends who are struggling. I think especially of those young people who
are tempted to lose hope, to abandon their high ideals, to drop out of school,
or to live from day to day on the streets.
 "So it is essential not to lose your integrity! Not to compromise your
ideals! Not to give in to temptations against goodness, holiness, courage and
purity! Rise to the challenge! With Christ, you will be - indeed you already
are! - the architects of a renewed and more just Filipino culture.
 "A second key area where you are called to make a contribution is in showing
concern for the environment. This is not only because this country, more than
many others, is likely to be seriously affected by climate change. You are
called to care for creation not only as responsible citizens, but also as
followers of Christ! Respect for the environment means more than simply using
cleaner products or recycling what we use. These are important aspects, but
not enough. We need to see, with the eyes of faith, the beauty of God's saving
plan, the link between the natural environment and the dignity of the human
person. Men and women are made in the image and likeness of God, and given
dominion over creation. As stewards of God's creation, we are called to make
the earth a beautiful garden for the human family. When we destroy our
forests, ravage our soil and pollute our seas, we betray that noble calling.
 "Three months ago, your Bishops addressed these issues in a prophetic
Pastoral Letter. They asked everyone to think about the moral dimension of our
activities and lifestyles, our consumption and our use of the earth's
resources. Today I ask you to do this in the context of your own lives and
your commitment to the building up of Christ's kingdom. Dear young people, the
just use and stewardship of the earth's resources is an urgent task, and you
have an important contribution to make. You are the future of the Philippines.
Be concerned about what is happening to your beautiful land!
 "A final area in which you can make a contribution is one dear to all of us.
It is care for the poor. We are Christians. We are members of God's family. No
matter how much or how little we have individually, each one of us is called
to personally reach out and serve our brothers and sisters in need. There is
always someone near us who is in need, materially, emotionally, spiritually.
The greatest gift we can give to them is our friendship, our concern, our
tenderness, our love for Jesus. To receive Jesus is to have everything; to
give Him is to give the greatest gift of all.
 "Many of you know what it is to be poor. But many of you have also
experienced something of the blessedness that Jesus promised to 'the poor in
spirit'. Here I would say a word of encouragement and gratitude to those of
you who choose to follow our Lord in his poverty through a vocation to the
priesthood and the religious life; by drawing on that poverty you will enrich
many. But to all of you, especially those who can do more and give more, I
ask: Please, do more! Please, give more! When you give of your time, your
talents and your resources to the many people who struggle and who live on the
margins, you make a difference. It is a difference that is so desperately
needed, and one for which you will be richly rewarded by the Lord. For, as he
has said: 'you will have treasure in heaven'.

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