In August, young Catholics from around the world gathered in Rome for the Jubilee of Youth. Angelica, a 19-year-old student from Lebanon, went to deepen her faith and learn from the experiences of other young people. For her, the Jubilee was an opportunity to reflect on her faith, see how young people from other countries live it, and strengthen her hope.

Now, back in Lebanon, a country scarred by crisis but rich in hope, Angelica got to experience the Pope visiting her own country. She talks about what it meant to her to him surrounded by her own people and, especially, many other young people.

Transcript

Rome, Italy (August 2025): Hi, my name is Angelica, I'm 19 years old, I live in Lebanon and I'm Lebanese. I came to the Jubilee to find myself and deepen my faith. It's also a chance to see the witness of other young people, a bit of Christian life around me, and to understand a little better how it works. For me, the theme of the Jubilee, which is hope, resonates deeply, because, coming from Lebanon, my people have gone through many crises and a lot of suffering, and all Lebanese people have this hope within them. So coming here has allowed me to deepen this hope and better understand life, and to always, always fight for it. 

Beirut, Lebanon (November 2025): Now it's November, and I'm here in Lebanon, where we got the very good news that the Pope was coming to visit us, to pray for our country, and bring our people together. Yesterday, we saw the Pope go by on the street, and he looked happy. We saw all the young people and all the Lebanese people in the streets, waiting for the Pope with high hopes. So it's truly a magnificent experience, because I experienced it in Italy, and now I'm also experiencing it in Lebanon, in my own country. So it's something, really... I can't, I'm speechless, and the fact that I had the opportunity to see him in Rome and that he's now here in Lebanon, in my country, is just incredible.