Pope Francis greets members of Italy's National Youth Council at the Vatican, Nov. 16, 2024. / Vatican Media

CNA Newsroom, Nov 16, 2024 / 09:00 am (CNA).

Pope Francis on Saturday warned of a “worrying and complex” rise in youth mental health challenges, including self-harm and suicide, while calling for a new “educational alliance” to address what he described as not just a cultural but an “anthropological metamorphosis” in society.

Speaking to members of Italy’s National Youth Council at the Vatican on Nov. 16, the pope emphasized the need for comprehensive support structures amid what he called an “epochal change” affecting young people.

“As we know – even from recent news – the challenges that concern you are many: the dignity of work, family, education, civic engagement, care for creation, and new technologies,” the pope said.

“The increase in acts of violence and self-harm, up to the most extreme gesture of taking one’s life, are signs of a worrying and complex distress,” Francis warned.

The pontiff’s remarks came as the youth council marked its 20th anniversary. Francis noted with approval their “Quarta Rilevazione dell’Indice di Fiducia” (Fourth Trust Index Survey), showing that hope remained the predominant “inner attitude” among Italian youth.

“We often meet disillusioned people because they look to the future with skepticism and pessimism,” Francis observed. “It is important therefore to know that Italian young people can be artisans of hope because they are capable of dreaming.”

Calling for what he termed a “village of education,” the pope urged creating networks of “human and open relationships” that place the person at the center while investing in the formation of those who will serve the community.

The pope connected his message to the upcoming 2025 Jubilee Year, which he noted he had announced with the words “La speranza non delude!” (“Hope does not disappoint!”).

In addressing the youth representatives serving as a consultative body at local, national, and European levels, Francis emphasized their role in giving voice “to all, especially those who have no voice.”

He highlighted challenges, including dignity of work, family life, education, civic engagement, environmental care, and new technologies.

The pope concluded by referencing Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, asking the youth leaders if they knew of him and encouraging them to learn from “his consistency and his courage.”

Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, born Apr. 6, 1901, to a prominent Italian family, died Jul. 4, 1925, at age 24.

The young Third Order Dominican could be declared a saint during the Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee Year, according to recent statements by the prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints.

St. John Paul II, who declared Frassati a patron for World Youth Days, called him “the man of the beatitudes” for exemplifying these blessings in his daily life. According to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Frassati has become “a significant global patron for youth and young adults,” with a special significance for young Catholics in the United States.