CHICAGO (RNS) — At Rate Field, the home of the Chicago White Sox, some 30,000 celebrated a native son, Pope Leo XIV, Saturday afternoon (June 14) at a Mass organized by the Archdiocese of Chicago. Leo appeared via video from Rome, in a prerecorded message encouraging young people to engage in the community of the church.

In his first words directed specifically to Americans, Pope Leo XIV told young people on Saturday how to find hope and meaning in their lives through God and in service to others. “So many people who suffer from different experiences of depression or sadness — they can discover that the love of God is truly healing,