Pope tells youth at Steubenville conferences: ‘Only the love of God can provide us with true and perfect joy’
June 20, 2026
In a video message released by the Vatican this morning, Pope Leo XIV told participants in Franciscan University of Steubenville’s summer youth conferences that “only the love of God can provide us with true and perfect joy.”
Reflecting on the life of St. Francis of Assisi, Pope Leo said that “Saint Francis was able to sow peace not because of his own efforts, but because he possessed within himself the source of true peace.”
“I have often repeated that peace is a gift from God, a gift we receive when we invite the Lord into our heart,” the Pope continued. “We are then called to become instruments of his peace, spreading it to our families, our communities, our countries and the whole world.”
Likewise, joy amid difficult circumstances “is only possible if our life is founded upon our relationship with God as a loving Father,” Pope Leo said. “Indeed, the joy of Saint Francis—the joy Saint Francis was speaking of—cannot be found through electronic devices, spending hours in front of a screen or endlessly scrolling on social media every day. These activities often waste precious time that could be used for moments of silent prayer, of cultivating authentic friendships, spending quality time with family, learning more about our faith, studying or playing sports.”
“You are precious in God’s eyes,” Pope Leo added. “You are unconditionally loved by him! Are you certain of this? If you cultivate a trusting relationship with him, through regular prayer, through reception of the sacraments, if you abandon yourself into his hands, then anxiety, or sadness, and loneliness will fade away as his grace fills you and as his love inflames your heart.”
The Pope also encouraged the young people to consider various vocations:
Today, the Lord needs missionaries to spread the word to those who do not know him, holy men and women to begin loving Catholic families, priests to be spiritual fathers and ministers of the sacraments as well as religious men and women to be witnesses of the true joy of his kingdom.
If you have a sense that the Lord may be calling you to one of these vocations, do not close yourself off or turn away in fear, but take a step forward and say to the Lord, “Here I am, send me!” (Is 6:8). At the same time, do not be afraid to talk to someone about it, a trusted friend, priest or religious sister.
18% of priests ordained in the United States this year took part in a Franciscan University of Steubenville high school youth conference, according to a survey published by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
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