Youth

The Youth Office of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life—once known as the Youth Section of the Pontifical Council for the Laity—was established in 1986 by John Paul II to give visibility and concreteness to the importance that the Pope and the whole Church attribute to the world of the young.

Within the universal Church, the Youth Office publicizes the Holy Father’s initiatives; it is at the service of the Episcopal Conferences in the field of youth ministry; it addresses youth movements, associations, and international communities, promoting collaboration and meetings between the various ecclesial realities; and it organizes conferences on youth ministry at international and continental levels.

The central element of its activity is the preparation of the international World Youth Days (WYD) that, every two or three years in different countries, gather hundreds of thousands of young people from around the world around the Pope. The WYD, established by John Paul II in 1985, also plans annual celebrations in local churches.

On behalf of the Dicastery for the Laity, the Family and Life, the Youth Office finally supports the activities of the San Lorenzo International Youth Center, which is entrusted with the mission of welcoming and evangelizing young people who go to Rome to study or on pilgrimage.

 

 

News

WYD
From the 25th of February to the 25th of April, a 12-week social campaign to rediscover the relevance of the Pope's letter to young people and keep alive the experience of World Youth Days

  This year, the Church celebrates the five-year anniversary of the publication of the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation, Christus Vivit. On the 25th of March 2019 in fact, Pope Francis signed ...

WYD
Chagas: continuation of the Youth Synod, WYD in Central America was a great experience of listening

    On 27 January 2019, some 700,000 young people from around the world gathered at Campo San Juan Pablo II in Panama City for the Mass that concluded an intense and profound week of ...

Youth
A presentation of future projects for and with young people, including GenFest 2024

  The Secretary of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life, Dr Gleison De Paula Souza, together with officials from the youth area of the Dicastery, welcomed the group from the International ...