This is how the night was lived in Tor Vergata during the Jubilee of Young

“I ask you: rest a little. The appointment is here tomorrow morning for the Holy Mass. Good night!” With this paternal council, Pope Leo XIV said goodbye at the end of Saturday’s vigil, of the young people who spent the night in the esplanade of Tor Vergata.

Sleeping bags and improvised campaign stores covered the wide land on the outskirts of Rome, once again witness the faith and commitment of more than one million young people from 140 countries to participate in the jubilee.

The joy and enthusiasm –visibles especially after the arrival of the Pope – exceeded the accumulated fatigue and the smile was not erased from the faces of the young people.

The night in Tor Vergata was also an essential part of this great experience that will be recorded forever in the mind and heart of the pilgrims. Even many described her as “a pijamada” with a million friends.

Among the crowd was the young Sofia Alas, who participated next to the Diocese choir of Rome. In conversation with ACI Press, he defined the retailer week as “an incredible experience.”

“I think this jubilee is a sign to realize that young people are the Church. We are used to hearing that young people are the future of the Church, all as a future, and that is a lie, young people are now of the Church, we are today,” he said.

The young Guatemalan, who works as a journalist in Rome, commented that he even rained during the night: “Seeing more than one million young people praying and dancing in the rain struck me a lot.”

“They were young people around the world, so there were many cultures, a lot of diversity and that is also something special, because that is where you realize that the Church is universal, and that is very special,” he said.

Sofia remembers with special affection the moment in which Pope Leo XIV greeted him from the Papamóvil and ensures that the jubilee has given him “a true inner peace”, since during these days he has realized that he is not only only: “This has reaffirmed my relationship with God.”

Although after following the songs of the Hakuna group, which sang from the stage, many went to rest, following the Pope’s advice, others continued to express their joy with dances and songs. Drums, guitars and tambourines resonated by the esplanade accompanied by different songs of praise in different languages.

Young people gathered in circles sang in a loud voice and shouted strongly: “This is the youth of the Pope!” After the emotional farewell of the pontiff, the atmosphere became a celebration in which music, prayer, party and fervor did not miss.

Amid the holiday bustle, there was also a place for silence and prayer: it was not uncommon to see young people praying on his knees to the morning.

With the first rays of the sun peeling on the horizon, the pilgrims began to stretch. Soft music, like a delicate alarm clock, accompanied dawn.

Among them, religious and priests toured the groups, encouraging them with applause and a smile to start strongly on the last day of the jubilee and prepare for the Mass chaired by the Pope of his generation, Leo XIV.