Pope Leo warns of ‘enslaving pleasures’ in vigil with young people

An estimated one million people attended a vigil held by Pope Leo XIV with young people at the Monumento a los Españoles in Buenos Aires City on Tuesday evening. 

The meeting, which took place in the same place where the pontiff gave his first mass in the country on Monday, included musical shows and the testimonies of four young people.

The event ended with Leo’s words and a fireworks display while everyone sang “Alma misionera,” a popular Church song in Latin America that has been at the center of many of the pope’s gatherings.

A warning for young people The pope arrived aboard the Popemobile, waving to the crowds lined up along the streets and making repeated stops to impart blessings on babies and receive gifts from those from the crowd through his way. 

Buenos Aires, Jorge García Cuerva opened the vigil by warning of the wounds caused by poverty, loneliness, addiction, and unemployment. He also emphasized the importance of solidarity, saying that “no one should be left by the wayside.”

After listening to the testimony of two men and two women and a series of musical guests performed, Leo centered his words on what he called “idols,” meaning things that occupy a key role in the lives of many. Among them, he mentioned success, money, appearances, popularity, and the “unbridled pursuit of pleasure.” 

“Dear friends, even today there are idols that demand our worship: success at any cost, money, an obsession with appearances, popularity, or the unbridled pursuit of pleasure. Sometimes, just to gain the approval of others, we may go so far as to lie, betray, or humiliate someone on social media. Envy can prevent us from rejoicing in the good fortune of others, and selfishness can lead us to treat people as objects,” he said. 

The pontiff also questioned those who profit from practices that create dependency. 

“There are also those who profit by offering pleasures that ultimately enslave us, such as pornography and various substances,” the pope added.

Echoing Pope Francis’s rhetoric warning against “false idols,” Leo reminded the young people who listened to him intently, amid scenes of joy and tears of emotion.

“You are called to stand firm against the idols of our time. Do not kneel before that which cannot give you life! And if you have ever fallen, get back up! Do not let anything or anyone take away the freedom that God has given you.”

Toward the end of the vigil, Leo XIV entrusted the young people with the second part of the gathering’s theme: “Go and proclaim!” 

He called on them to take that message to their cities, towns, and outlying areas so that those who felt far from God might discover that Christ was also seeking them.

The pope also announced the blessing of a cross that would travel through the communities and asked that, as it passed from one set of hands to another, it might transmit the fire of Christ’s love from heart to heart. 

Finally, he entrusted this journey to Our Lady of Luján and concluded with one last invitation: “All toward Christ, all with Christ, all like Christ!”

Cover photo: Pope Leo XIV aboard the Popemobile. Credit: Vatican News