Take charge of your roots, culture, pope tells indigenous youths

681 0
Pope Francis holds a bracelet given by a young person as he arrives at Tocumen International Airport in Panama City Jan. 23, 2019. The pope is visiting Panama for World Youth Day. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis said that in order to face the challenges ahead, young indigenous men and women must protect and never forget their roots and their cultures.

In a video message sent to the World Meeting of Indigenous Youth in Soloy, Panama, Jan. 18, the pope urged the young people to “be grateful for the history of their people,” which will help them “go forward full of hope.”

“Return to your culture of origins,” he said. “Take charge of your roots, because from your roots comes the strength to make things grow, flourish and bear fruit.”

According to a press release, over 2,000 indigenous young people were expected to attend the Jan. 17-21 meeting to prepare for World Youth Day in Panama.

The pope, who will arrive in the country Jan. 23, said he looked forward to meeting them at WYD and said their presence would be a way “of showing the indigenous face of our church” as well as being a confirmation of the church’s “commitment to protect our common home.”

The gathering of young indigenous men and women, he added, will “stimulate the search for answers from an evangelical perspective to the many scandalous situations in the world such as the marginalization, exclusion and impoverishment that condemn millions of young people, especially youths from the original peoples.”

“Take charge of your cultures, take charge of your roots!” Pope Francis exclaimed. “A poet once said that ‘everything that blooms from a tree comes from that which is underground,’ the roots. But roots that grow toward the future, projected toward the future. This is your challenge today.”

Related Post

Pope Francis celebrates Mass in the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae at the Vatican Jan. 14, 2020. In his homily, the pope said the crowds who followed Jesus knew he taught with "authority" because he lived what he preached. Too many other religious leaders, he said, suffer from "pastoral schizophrenia," which is saying one thing and doing another. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

Preaching one thing, doing another is ‘pastoral schizophrenia,’ pope says

Posted by - January 18, 2020 0
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The crowds following Jesus during his lifetime said he taught with “authority” because he lived what…
Pope Francis holds the Book of the Gospels as he celebrates Mass on the feast of Mary, Mother of God, in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican Jan. 1, 2020. The pope has established the third Sunday in Ordinary Time as "Sunday of the Word of God." It will be celebrated for the first time Jan. 26. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)

Pope sets special day to honor, study, share the Bible

Posted by - January 18, 2020 0
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The newly established “Sunday of the Word of God” is an invitation to Catholics across the…
Men carry a statue of Santo Nino de Cebu, who is depicted as the Infant Child Jesus, during a special Mass honoring the popular Filipino devotion to the Child Jesus at Mary Queen Catholic Church in Friendswood, Texas, Jan. 4, 2020. The devotion originates from Cebu City, Philippines, and was brought over by Filipino immigrants. A special reception followed the Mass that featured traditional Filipino dances and the Sinulog dance. (CNS photo/James Ramos, Texas Catholic Herald)

Filipinos celebrate their faith in Santo Nino festival season

Posted by - January 18, 2020 0
HOUSTON (CNS) — While festivals after Epiphany are often known for Mardi Gras, a popular Filipino celebration of the Christ…