Vatican:

Pope Francis introduced the latest edition of the YOUCAT also known as the Youth Catechism of the Catholic Church through a letter addressed to young people on Monday. The Holy Father unveiled the new edition via a letter published in the Italian newspaper La Stampa.

The Pope stated, “Love is the primary reason for the existence of the Church.” He further remarked that Jesus is the center of our hearts upon stating the love the believers always have for Jesus.

To emphasize the transformative power Jesus has on his believers, the Pope cited Pope Benedict XVI’s encyclical Deus Caritas Est in which it was written, “At the beginning of being a Christian there is not a decisive decision or a great idea, but rather the encounter with an event, with a Person, which gives rise to a new horizon and with this the decisive direction.”

The Holy Father described the new edition of YOUCAT as a beautiful book that was born out of love. The Pope further added, “This book is compelling because it tells us about our destiny and therefore concerns each of us closely.” Hence, he invited the young readers to study it.

The Pontiff noted that the catechism in the book does not offer easy solutions but it would instead demand the readers a new life. In his letter, he encouraged the readers to sacrifice their time and “study the catechism with passion and perseverance.” In the conclusion to the letter, the Holy Father declared that Jesus was the password for a truly alive and joyful life. He further asserted, “Nothing is more fruitful than the study of this catechism, together with the assiduous reading of the pages of the Gospel and a daily practice of prayer.”