Pope Francis thanked the Swiss Chaplains for their “demanding work” at the service of young people.
Before those present in the Apostolic Palace of the Vatican, Pope Francis defended that the fruit of the good work of the chaplains lies in prayer.
“It is there, in the silence, where the faces, the stories, the smiles and the tears, the dreams resurface… And it is there where they also find the inner impulse, because a job like theirs absorbs a lot of energy and can exhaust the spirit if there is no ‘sap’ from the Lord to recharge it”, he assured.
In addition, he told the chaplains that “every time one of you stands next to two or three young people on the way, listens to them, listens to the disappointments, the failures, the doubts that they carry inside, and then he speaks to them about Jesus Christ, awakening the hope in their hearts, there something of the experience of the disciples of Emmaus is renewed”.
For Pope Francis, this does not depend on the ability of the chaplains, but rather “it is the living Christ who passes by, it is his Spirit who acts; but it is important that they are there, his presence with them is necessary”.
Later, he underlined the ecumenical character and the Youth Synod as a “background” in this vocation, which “can help the Church to grow towards an ever fuller unity, more in accordance with the will of Christ the Lord.”