Pope Leo tells thousands of youth to build better world
It forms part of a special weekend aimed at energising Catholic youth.
Young people from more than 146 countries were pressed against fences in the Tor Vergata field as Pope Leo toured the crowd in his white popemobile in late afternoon.
The pope, smiling broadly, waved, offered blessings and occasionally caught small stuffed animals and national flags thrown by the youth as he passed by.
"Dear young people ... my prayer for you is that you may persevere in faith, with joy and courage," Pope Leo said in remarks later to the crowd.
"Seek justice in order to build a more humane world," he said.
Adding: "Serve the poor, and so bear witness to the good that we would always like to receive from our neighbours."
Many of the youth attending the event spent all day waiting in the field in heat approaching 30C.
Organisers used water cannons to help cool down people in the crowd.
"For me, it is an incredible emotion because I had never been to an event like this before," said Maya Remorini, from Italy's Tuscany region. She said her group had arrived around 5am that morning.
Many of the youth are expected to sleep in the field overnight, waiting for a second chance to see Pope Leo tomorrow morning, when the pope is due to celebrate a Catholic mass.
The weekend events are tied to the ongoing Catholic Holy Year, which the Vatican said has attracted some 17 million pilgrims to Rome since it started at the end of 2024.
Pope Leo, the first US-born pope, was elected on 8 May by the world's cardinals to replace the late Pope Francis.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Journal
40 minutes ago
- The Journal
Trump's planning 250% tariffs on pharmaceuticals - and he hasn't forgotten about Ireland
LAST UPDATE | 1 hr ago TARIFFS ON IMPORTED pharmaceuticals into the US could go as high as 250%, President Donald Trump has said. Pharmaceuticals and semiconductors will be the next industries targeted in the latest round of Trump's tariffs, he outlined today, despite the EU claiming that it had agreed a 15% tariff cap on medicines. Speaking to CNBC this morning, Trump referenced Ireland's strength in the pharmaceuticals sector, and indicated that new tariffs on imported pharmaceuticals and semiconductors will be announced soon – potentially in the coming week. He said that other countries 'make a fortune with pharmaceuticals', 'They make our pharmaceuticals in China and Ireland,' he said, adding that upcoming tariffs on imported pharmaceuticals could reach 250%. 'We'll be putting [an] initially small tariff on pharmaceuticals, but in one year, one-and-a-half years, maximum, it's going to go to 150%, and then it's going to go to 250% because we want pharmaceuticals made in our country,' he said. Advertisement CNBC Television / YouTube '15% cap is all-inclusive' Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen agreed a deal two weeks ago to a baseline US tariff of 15% on imports from the EU. It left out some sectors, though, including pharmaceuticals. Today, the European Commission pushed back on criticism from members of the German government that von der Leyen had not secured a good deal for businesses and citizens in the EU. Similar criticism was levelled in a recent episode of The Journal 's The Explainer p odcast, when economist and TU Dublin lecturer Emma Howard said Trump successfully 'anchored' his negotiations with the EU, which saw Europe talk him down from a proposed and unrealistic 30% tariff rate. Trade spokesperson Olof Gill stood over the agreement between the Commission President and Trump, claiming the deal secured a future without further tariffs and assured that the 15% tariff ceiling on goods 'is all-inclusive'. He said that the deal allows the EU and the US to have a 'stable platform' to move towards a zero-for-zero tariff scenario, secure future trade deals with Washington and provide certainty to businesses. His comments came after he confirmed that the European Commission today waived Europe's proposed counter tariffs against the US – despite previous claims from the EU's executive that it would move forward with reciprocal measures should tariffs be imposed. Future of tariffs on pharma Uncertainty remains, however, for the pharma industry – a lucrative sector for Ireland. In April, the Trump White House initiated new investigations into the imports of pharmaceuticals under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act. Read Next Related Reads Q&A: What we know (and don't know) about the EU-US tariff deal 'Resorted to submission': Last-minute US tariff deal earns stinging criticism from EU leaders Are pharmaceuticals part of the EU-US tariff deal? And what's Section 232 got to do with it? The purpose of a Section 232 investigation is to determine, in short, the effect of imports on US national security and whether certain imports 'threaten to impair' national security. Its outcome will determine if placing tariffs on goods such as medicines, which the US largely imports, threatens the security of the American job market, economic growth or foreign direct investment, monetary or otherwise. Trump's plans have incited concerns overseas, as governments that expect to be hit the most try to appease him to avoid high tariff leaders are due to travel to Washington DC today for talks to try to swerve a 39% tariff due Thursday. Similarly to Ireland, pharmaceuticals represent a large majority (60%) of Swiss goods that are exported to the US. Additional reporting by AFP and Muiris Ó Cearbhaill Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Irish Times
2 hours ago
- Irish Times
The Irish Times view on Hiroshima 80 years on: the day everything changed
At 8.15am local time on the morning of August 6th, 1945, a US B-29 bomber named Enola Gay dropped the world's first atomic bomb used in warfare over the Japanese city of Hiroshima. The weapon, nicknamed 'Little Boy', exploded roughly 600 metres above the city centre. What followed was an act of man-made devastation without precedent in human history. A blinding flash, an immense shockwave and a blast of intense heat levelled much of the city within seconds. It is estimated that between 70,000 and 80,000 people died instantly. Tens of thousands more were burned, crushed, or irradiated. Buildings within a two-kilometre radius were either incinerated or flattened. In the days, weeks and months that followed, the death toll continued to climb as radiation sickness set in. By the end of 1945, more than 140,000 were dead. Hiroshima was a moment that changed the trajectory of the modern world. It revealed, in the most brutal way possible, the terrifying power of nuclear weapons. Three days later, a second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. Less than a week after that, Japan surrendered, bringing the second World War to an end. The shadow cast by those bombings has never lifted. In the eight decades since, the spectre of nuclear annihilation has remained with us, sometimes pushed to the background, other times terrifyingly near. The Cold War saw the United States and the Soviet Union build vast nuclear arsenals, capable of destroying the planet many times over. The Cuban missile crisis of 1962 brought the world to the brink. READ MORE The end of the Cold War offered some hope. Tensions eased and warheads were gradually dismantled. But the danger never truly receded. Nine nations now possess nuclear weapons, and others appear determined to join them. Iran's ambitions have drawn global attention and military strikes by Israel and the US. North Korea continues to test its capabilities. And in the early stages of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Vladimir Putin made direct threats of nuclear escalation. Flashpoints persist, from the Persian Gulf to the India-Pakistan border. Recent suggestions by Polish politicians that their country should seek its own nuclear arsenal are just one more reminder that the old consensus on deterrence is fraying, with American security guarantees now in serious doubt. Eighty years on from Hiroshima, the world finds itself on the threshold of a new nuclear era: more multi-polar, less predictable, and almost certainly more dangerous. The lessons of 1945 may not have been forgotten, but they have certainly not been fully heeded. What happened to Hiroshima must remain more than a historical event. It is a warning, one that still demands urgent attention and constant vigilance.
Irish Examiner
4 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Hezbollah threatens to resume firing at Israel if it intensifies Lebanon action
The leader of Lebanon's Hezbollah warned on Tuesday that if Israel intensifies its military operations against his group, the Iran-backed armed faction will resume firing missiles toward Israel. Naim Kassem's comments came as Lebanon's Cabinet was meeting to discuss Hezbollah's disarmament. Beirut is under US pressure to disarm the group that recently fought a 14-month war with Israel and was left gravely weakened, with many of its political and military leaders dead. Since the war ended in November with a US-brokered ceasefire, Hezbollah officials have said the group will not discuss its disarmament until Israel withdraws from five hills it controls inside Lebanon and stops almost daily airstrikes that have killed or wounded hundreds of people, most of them Hezbollah members. Israel's interest is not to widen the aggression because if they expand, the resistance will defend, the army will defend and the people will defend. This defence will lead to the fall of missiles inside Israel Israel has accused Hezbollah of trying to rebuild its military capabilities. Israel's military has said the five locations in Lebanon provide vantage points or are located across from communities in northern Israel, where about 60,000 Israelis were displaced during the war. Since the ceasefire, Hezbollah has claimed responsibility for one attack on a disputed area along the border. In a televised speech on Tuesday, Kassem said Hezbollah rejects any timetable to hand over its weapons. 'Israel's interest is not to widen the aggression because if they expand, the resistance will defend, the army will defend and the people will defend,' he said. 'This defence will lead to the fall of missiles inside Israel.' Since the war ended, Hezbollah has withdrawn most of its fighters and weapons from the area along the border with Israel south of the Litani river. Last week, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun reiterated calls for Hezbollah to give up its weapons, angering the group's leadership. The ceasefire agreement left vague how Hezbollah's weapons and military facilities north of the Litani river should be treated, saying Lebanese authorities should dismantle unauthorised facilities starting with the area south of the river. Hezbollah maintains the deal covers only the area south of the Litani, while Israel and the US say it mandates disarmament of the group throughout Lebanon. Kassem said Hezbollah rejects a government vote over its weapons, saying such a decision should be unanimously backed by all Lebanese. 'No one can deprive Lebanon of its force to protect its sovereignty,' Kassem said. Hezbollah's weapons are a divisive issue among Lebanese, with some groups calling for its disarmament. The Israel-Hezbollah war started a day after the October 7 2023 Hamas-led attack against Israel from Gaza. It left more than 4,000 people dead and caused 11 billion dollars (£8.3 billion) of damage.
