Youth movement heeds call of Pope Francis to be 'agents' of change

A youth movement of Sunday welcomes the call of Pope Francis among the youths to be “agents of change”.

In his message to the youth at the University of Santo Tomas (UST) on Sunday (Jan. 18) wherein he made a close encounter with the youth, Pope Francis sent a message of encouragement to unselfishly offer themselves with passion to the great work of renewing our society.

The call to renew the strength of youth for the spirit of public service gained laud applause from various youth organizations.

Einstein Recedes, spokesman of the Student Christian Movement of the Philippines (SCMP), said they are accepting the challenge with open hearts and open arms.

“The Pope tells us to think, to feel, and to do well. The Pope challenges young Filipinos to learn from the poor and open our eyes to social realities, and offer our lives to service for our brothers and sisters, to the Filipino people,” he said.

He added that aside from being inspirational, the words of the Holy Pontiff also energized and rekindled the youth’s spirit of idealism.

“Pope Francis encourages us to dream of a society devoid of poverty, inequality, and injustice -- and we will surely follow his words, words that highlight and reflect the Lord Jesus’ own teachings,” he said.

The Christian youth leader further said that Pope Francis’ message to them which is to render real service, the kind of service that goes beyond profit, service that offers no monetary returns yet gives meaning to life.

“The Pope, and Jesus (Christ) through the Gospel tells us to leave everything behind and serve the people,” he said.

He further said that Pope Francis words did not surely fall on deaf ears.

He said that the Papal words will serve as an inspiration also for them not only to be generation of public servants, but also of community organizers, of youth volunteers, of activists who will carry the word of the Pope and put them into action.

The youth group also said that the Pope’s words further gave them more reason to fight against oppression and inequality in society in order to result in their dream of a just and humane society devoid of poverty. (PNA)