The following is the Message sent by the Holy Father Leo XIV to young people all over the world for the 41st World Youth Day, which will be celebrated in the particular Churches this coming 22 November 2026, and in an international meeting to be held in Seoul from 3 to 8 August 2027, on the theme: “Take courage!
I have overcome the world.” ( Jn 16:33): Message of the Holy Father “Take courage! I have overcome the world.” (Jn 16:33) Dear young people, I wish to reach out to each of you with this message and, above all, to give thanks to God for the gift that you are to the Church and to society.
He knows you, loves you and accompanies you on your journey through life. His Spirit inspires in all of you — different as you are and spread throughout the world — the same desire for things that are great and lasting, and moves you to seek…
I have overcome the world.” ( Jn 16:33): Message of the Holy Father “Take courage! I have overcome the world.” (Jn 16:33) Dear young people, I wish to reach out to each of you with this message and, above all, to give thanks to God for the gift that you are to the Church and to society. He knows you, loves you and accompanies you on your journey through life.
His Spirit inspires in all of you — different as you are and spread throughout the world — the same desire for things that are great and lasting, and moves you to seek freedom and truth. From God comes your desire to love and to be loved, as well as the hope that the Holy Spirit awakens in your hearts — a hope that can also become a light for others.
For all of this, I give thanks to the Lord. We are preparing to celebrate the 41st World Youth Day in our local Churches on 22 November, the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, even as we look forward to our international gathering in Seoul in August 2027. In preparation for these events, I wish to entrust to you the words of Jesus: “Take courage!
I have overcome the world” ( Jn 16:33). These words will serve as our theme in the coming months, and I invite you now to begin reflecting on them with me. Where does courage come from? Christ’s words begin with an invitation to take courage. I know well that, at times, instead of courage it is uncertainty or fear that can prevail in us, just as they did in the first disciples.