A video message given by the Holy Father on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the birth of St John Paul II

On the occasion of the 100^th anniversary of the birth of St John Paul II, Pope Francis sent a video message to the young people of Poland. In this message, he also mentioned the 2016 WYD which took place in Krakow, Poland. The Pope spoke words of encouragement that could be addressed to youth all over the world as he invited them to follow the Divine Mercy teachings given by John Paul II.

“I remember him as a great man of mercy: I am thinking of his Encyclical Dives in Misericordia, of the canonisation of Saint Faustina and of the establishment of Divine Mercy Sunday. In the light of God’s merciful love, he captured the specificity and beauty of the vocation of women and men, he understood the needs of children, of young people and of adults, also considering cultural and social conditioning. Everyone had an experience of him. Or, perhaps, everyone experienced him? Today, you too can experience him, and know of his life and his teachings, which are available to everyone thanks to the internet.

Everyone could feel this. You too can experience it today by learning about his life and his teachings. They are available to us all now with the help of the internet”, said the Holy Father.  He also said that another characteristic trait of St. John Paul II's pontificate was love for families and his insistence that personal and family problems are not obstacles on the road to holiness and happiness.

While pointing out that St John Paul II placed his trust in Christ who died and rose again, Pope Francis invited young people to follow that example: “This is what I hope for each and every one of you: to enter Christ with your whole life. And I hope that the celebrations of the centenary of the birth of Saint John Paul II will inspire within you the desire to walk bravely with Jesus.”