Pope Leo calls on youth to ‘accept the invitation of the Church and Christ the Lord’

“Have no fear! Trust in the Lord” Pope Leo XIV waves at a massive, jubilant crowd gathered on St. Peter’ s Square for the Regina Coeli on Sunday, May 11, 2025 / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA Vatican City, May 11, 2025 / 06:51 am (CNA). “To young people I say: Do not be afraid! Accept the invitation of the Church and Christ the Lord!” declared Pope Leo XIV to thunderous applause during his first Regina Coeli address as an extraordinary crowd of jubilant pilgrims packed St. Peter’s Square on Sunday.The spontaneous call to young people from the first U.S.-born pope echoed the famous words of St. John Paul II in 1978.On Sunday, Leo’s call — to an estimated crowd of 100,000 people — came during an address that coincided with Good Shepherd Sunday, which the new pontiff called “a gift from God” for his inaugural Sunday as bishop of Rome.Traditional folk groups and bands participate in the jubilee pilgrimage at the Vatican. They're gathered for Pope Leo XIV's first Regina Coeli prayer on May 11, 2025. Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNAThe sound of marching bands and cheerful pilgrims resonated throughout the Vatican as an exuberant, celebratory atmosphere filled the piazza and the surrounding streets. Participants in the Jubilee of Bands and Popular Entertainment, specially welcomed by the pope, provided melodious moments throughout the gathering. Huge crowds poured into the square on a warm Roman spring day with spontaneous cheers of “Viva il Papa” erupting repeatedly.Huge crowds gather in St. Peter’s Square ahead of the first Regina Coeli prayer with Pope Leo XIVon Sunday, May 11, 2025. Credit: Peter Gagnon/EWTN News“I consider it a gift from God that the first Sunday of my service as bishop of Rome is Good Shepherd Sunday, the fourth Sunday of Easter,” Pope Leo said, prompting another wave of enthusiastic applause. “In this Sunday always is proclaimed in the Mass the Gospel of John, chapter 10, in which Jesus reveals himself as the true Shepherd, who knows and loves his sheep and for them gives his life.”Regina caeli laetare,alleluia.Quia quem merúisti portáre, alleluiaResurrexit, sicut dixit, alleluia.Ora pro nobis Deum, alleluiaGaude et laetare, Virgo Maria, alleluiaQuia surrexit Dominus vere, alleluiaQueen of Heaven, rejoice, alleluia. For He whom you did merit to… pic.twitter.com/Px1Hy5lQIW— EWTN News (@EWTNews) May 11, 2025 The pope noted that this Sunday also marks the 62nd World Day of Prayer for Vocations, a day focused on praying for those called to religious life and priesthood.“Today, brothers and sisters, I have the joy of praying with you and all the people of God for vocations, especially those to the priesthood and religious life. The Church has such a great need for them!” the pope said.Leo XIV emphasized the importance of young people finding “acceptance, listening, and encouragement in their vocational journey” within Catholic communities and having “credible models of generous dedication to God and to their brothers and sisters.”An estimated 100,000 people gathered to hear Pope Leo XIV's first Sunday appearance at St. Peter's Square on May 11, 2025. Peter Gagnon / EWTN NewsThe pope specifically acknowledged the Jubilee of Bands and Popular Entertainment being hosted in Rome on Sunday. “I greet with affection all these pilgrims and thank them because, with their music and their performances, they enliven the feast of Christ the Good Shepherd,” he said as musical groups in the square responded with brief, spirited performances.Referencing Pope Francis’ message for the World Day of Prayer for Vocations, Leo encouraged Catholics to welcome and accompany young people discerning their calling.“Let us ask our heavenly Father to assist us in living in service to one another, each according to his or her state of life, shepherds after his own heart, capable of helping one another to walk in love and truth,” he said.People hold copies of L'Osservatore Romano newspaper featuring the newly elected pontiff at St. Peter's Square for Pope Leo XIV's first Regina Coeli prayer on May 11, 2025. Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNAIn a particularly animated moment, the pope addressed young people directly: “To young people I say: Do not be afraid! Accept the invitation of the Church and Christ the Lord!” The crowd responded with sustained applause.The Regina Coeli prayer replaces the Angelus during the Easter season. Pope Leo invoked the Virgin Mary, “whose entire life was a response to the Lord’s call,” to accompany all in following Jesus. He masterfully sang the Regina Coeli in mellifluous Latin before imparting his blessing. The crowd erupted in shouts of “Viva il Papa!”The pontiff then spoke solemnly about the tragedy of the Second World War, which ended on May 8, 1945. “We are now confronting a third world war piecemeal as Pope Francis reminded us,” he said. “As Pope Paul VI said: War no more!”Pilgrims from Peru — where Pope Leo served as a missionary and bishop — as well as Brazil, Mexico, and many other countries at St. Pe