Pope Francis Warns of "cold war" in Families, Encourages Living Forgiveness

Pope Francis then encouraged the young people present to bear witness to the faith and reminded them that they have “the responsibility to move forward with history. One of the beautiful things about young people is that they get back up. We all fall in life, but the important thing is not to stay down.” 

After pointing out that the Church “begins to take shape in the community,” the Holy Father indicated that “a parish where children are not listened to and the elderly are canceled is not a true Christian community. Do not forget that the elderly are the memory and the children are the promise.”

When asked by two parents about how to maintain the faith of children, Pope Francis highlighted the importance of parents loving each other, because children must be able to “feel that mom and dad love each other very much. If you fight, don’t do it in front of the children."

The Holy Father also highlighted the importance of talking to your children: “Never stop talking to them. Education is done through dialogue; never leave them alone. Make them understand that they can talk about anything.”

Before leaving, Pope Francis gave away some rosaries and an image of the Virgin Mary with the Child Jesus.

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What is the School of Prayer?

This was the Holy Father’s third event with the “School of Prayer,” an initiative promoted by the Vatican within the framework of this Year of Prayer and in preparation for the Jubilee 2025.

Through this project, Pope Francis will hold different meetings with various groups of people to pray together.

As Fisichella explained to ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, in January, these prayer meetings “will depend on the commitments of Pope Francis and will possibly include people and families from the Diocese of Rome.”