Little more than a week after the death of Pope Francis, an unpublished text has come to light. TRANS OUCAT. Love foreverpublished by the foundation of the official catechism for the youth of the Catholic Church. In him, the Argentine pontiff released a message to young people, encouraging them to believe in “the adventure of a love for a lifetime.”
“They believe in love, they believe in God, and believe they can face the adventure of a love for a lifetime,” he said.
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“I always move the young people who love each other and who have the audacity to transform their love into something big,” wrote the pontiff who, aware of the difficulties of young couples, also recognized the reality of “many marriages” that “currently fail after three, five or seven years.”
In any case, he insisted that true love aspires to be definitive: “Human beings need to be welcomed without reservations and those who do not experience it, often – knowing it – they carry with them a lifetime wound.”
Pope Francis turned to a metaphor to describe love “like Argentine tango.” And he explained: “A free game between man and woman, full of erotic fascination and attraction. The dancers are courted, live closeness and distance, sensuality, attention, discipline and dignity.”
In this sense, he made it clear that conjugal love is not a “passing dance”, but an “adventure” that, with constant astonishment, lasts “all life.”
Pope Francis lashed out at the culture that prevents commitment: “It would not be better to avoid pain, touch only as in a passing dance, enjoy and then separate. Wouldn’t it be easier? No, don’t you believe it!”
The Pontiff also warned that “with love is not played” and advocated adequate preparation for marriage. Thus he proposed to recover the “catechumenate”, a more demanding formative path, such as the first centuries of Christianity. “That could save them from disappointments, invalid or unstable marriages,” he said. He also recommended participating “absolutely” in premarital courses: “The more demanding, the better.”
Finally, he invited the bride and groom to read and dialogue about the content of the book, either among them or with other couples. Because, as stated in this posthumous brief, only through commitment and sincere delivery can “life in fullness” be achieved.
According to your website, OUCAT. Love forever It is “based on 1,000 questions and suggestions of young people from more than 30 countries around the world.”
“Prepared by a Topy team of marriages, priests and theologians, and with a prologue of Pope Francis, this book offers deep reflections and a practical orientation on the road to lasting love,” say its filmmakers.
Victoria Cardiel
Victoria Cardiel is a journalist specialized in social and religious information issues. Since 2013, he has covered all the news of the Vatican for various media, such as the Spanish news agency Europa Press, or the weekly of the Archdiocese of Madrid, Alfa and Omega.