Source: The Holy See
Video Message of the Holy Father on the occasion of the Halleluya Festival 2026 in Fortaleza, Brazil, 26.07.2026
The following is the text of the Video Message sent by the Holy Father Leo XIV to participants in the Halleluya Festival 2026 underway in Fortaleza, Brazil, from 22 to 26 July 2026:
Video Message of the Holy Father
Dear young people,
It is with great joy that I take part, albeit from a distance, in the Halleluya Festival 2026, an initiative which, year after year, through music, praise and worship, has touched the hearts of so many people, bearing good fruit for evangelization: confessions, conversions, and priestly and religious vocations.
Today, I would like to say once again how good it is to be with young people. Your enthusiasm is infectious and awakens in all of us a renewed apostolic zeal. During my recent journeys and at the Jubilee of Youth, I saw that each one of you possesses a missionary vigour that is essential for transforming this world, which is in such great need of the Gospel. Never lose this missionary zeal!
Indeed, it is this fervour that the Lord expects of all the baptized in proclaiming the Good News. In our day, there are still many people who need to know that it is Jesus who answers their deepest longings, revealing to human beings the truth about themselves. Therefore, proclaim with courage that a life without Christ is a life without grace! He is the Way, the Truth and the Life (cf. Jn 14:6); it is He who gives meaning to existence and to all things. This is the faith that moves us and that is worth sharing with those we love and with those who need it most.
It is possible, however, that as time goes by, the enthusiasm experienced during the Festival may wane. To keep the flame of faith alight and to bear witness to the Resurrection to our friends and to those we meet, we must stay in God’s presence through prayer. An authentic relationship with the Lord requires constancy, perseverance and the steadfast certainty that the Heavenly Father never abandons us; on the contrary, He comes to meet us in His Son. Therefore, do not be afraid of Christ! He takes nothing away; He gives everything (cf. Benedict XVI, Holy Mass at the beginning of the Petrine Ministry, 24 April 2005). Those who entrust themselves to the Saviour receive a hundredfold (cf. Mk 10:29–30) and always emerge victorious. In sport, we see the joy of those who win, but also the sadness of those who lose. With Christ, we always triumph (cf. Rom 8:37)! The saints bear witness to this very fact.
Let us be inspired by the example of Saint Carlo Acutis: he shows us how to keep Christ at the centre at all times, even when using technology. Taking him as a model, I advise you to use social media and artificial intelligence well, employing these tools in a moderate and disciplined way, as they can plunge us into an unreal world, in which the ephemeral, mere appearances and deception end up taking the place of true values and what really matters.
Dear young people, let the Holy Spirit rekindle within you a greater love, capable of transforming your youth into a force for evangelization, making each of you a living stone in the building of the “city of peace” for which we yearn so much, or, as Saint Augustine said, the City of God present in the midst of the city of men. Praying to God that He may strengthen you in your trials and help you to live out your call to holiness faithfully, I impart my Apostolic Blessing to all the participants and organizers of the Halleluya Festival.
May God be with you always!