Pope Leo XIV Encourages Young People to Nurture Their Inner Life

On October 30th, in the Paul VI Audience Hall at the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV addressed young Catholics as part of the Jubilee of the World of Education. He urged young people to cultivate their “interior life” and resist filling their restlessness with distractions or fleeting pleasures, warning that this can lead to “existential emptiness.” Pope Leo XIV reminded them that knowledge alone is not enough without understanding “who we are and the meaning of life.”

The pope acknowledged that many young people experience inner emptiness and stressed that this is not just a personal issue. In a relaxed and approachable moment, he introduced himself as a former maths and physics teacher and joked with students about exams.

Encouraging them to seek deeper purpose, he said: “I dream of more, Lord, I long for something greater — inspire me!” He invited them to look beyond appearances or smartphones and to “look to the sky, to the heights.”

Pope Leo highlighted St. Pier Giorgio Frassati and St. Carlo Acutis as role models for living with courage and using technology for good. He warned against letting digital tools or artificial intelligence become an escape or a “cage,” urging students instead to “write your own story.”

A takeaway quote from Pope Leo's address which is very helpful for parents and young people today: “Instead of looking at your phone, ‘look to the sky, to the heights - You live in [digital education] and that’s not a bad thing; there are enormous opportunities for study and communication. But don’t let the algorithm write your story! Be the authors: Use technology wisely, but don’t let technology use you!”