Pope Francis’ Post-Synodal Exhortation Will Take Form of Letter to Youth

The Pope will sign the document on March 25 but it won't be published until some time later.

Pope Francis arriving at his weekly general audience, March 20, 2019.
Pope Francis arriving at his weekly general audience, March 20, 2019. (photo: Lucía Ballester/CNA)

The post-synodal apostolic exhortation will be entitled Vive Cristo, esperanza nuestra (Christ, our hope, lives), taken from the first words of the document in Spanish rather than the usual Latin, the Vatican announced today in a statement.

It also said the document will “take the form of a 'Letter to Youth'” which the Pope will sign this coming Monday, the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord, during his one-day visit to the Marian Shrine of Loreto.

“With this gesture,” the statement continued, “the Pope intends to entrust to the Virgin Mary the document that seals the work of the Synod of Bishops held in the Vatican, from 3 to 28 October 2018, on the theme: ‘Young people, faith and vocational discernment.’” 

The Vatican did not specify when the text will be made public, saying simply that it will be “published after the March 25 signature and presented, as is customary for a magisterial document, during a press conference at the Holy See Press Office, details of which will be given in the coming days.”