Pope Francis has told Catholic youth not to be afraid to make mistakes when on mission.
He made the comment last weekend when speaking to the young people gathered for the “Hechos 29” youth conference in Mexico.
“I never tire of repeating that I prefer a church that is wounded because it goes out to the existential peripheries of the world, rather than a church that is sick because it remains closed up in its own little securities,” Francis said.
Christians must never give in to the fear of making mistakes when evangelising, he stressed. “This is especially so when reaching out to those in need in the digital space.”
The conference blurb says it is “an international meeting of digital evangelisers that seeks to awaken in all participants the desire to become and to build up the Church”.
Francis told the young men and women attending Hechos 29 that the conference was “an important initiative for missionary work in digital environments.
“May this meeting help you to feel like a community, as part of the missionary life of the church, which has never been afraid to go out to meet new horizons and frontiers. And, with creativity and courage, announce the mercy and tenderness of God,” he said.
Francis also referred to his address to church leaders during his visit to Canada last month. He emphasised the need to “find new ways to proclaim the heart of the Gospel to those who have not yet encountered Christ”.
Modern-day evangelisers must use “pastoral creativity to reach people where they live, not waiting for them to come, but where they live, discovering opportunities for listening, dialogue and encounter” he said.
“The Lord knocks on the door to enter within us, but how often does he knock on the door from the inside, so that we may let him out,” he said.
He urged the young evangelisers to carry out their mission and to be good Samaritans in the digital space “so that contemporary culture can know God by feeling him within you.
“Go and bring the hope of Jesus, especially to those who are farthest away, giving them reasons for their hope,” he said.
“May your words be accompanied by charity, and may your virtual presence strengthen your physical presence, so that the network may generate communion which makes Jesus present in your culture.”