Prayer, the sacraments and financial aid to others have been the keys to Pope Francis' message at WYD in Brazil, according to Pablo Blanco, a theologian at the University of Navarra.

With regard to prayer, Professor Pablo Blanco assures us that the Holy Father has insisted that "the staff and non-transferable relationship of every Christian with God is made concrete and becomes a reality in dialogue, in conversation staff with God. A Christian without prayer is only half a Christian. Young people too must learn this art of prayer in depth".

With respect to the sacraments, the expert from the University of Navarra affirms that "God becomes present among us in Jesus Christ, who submission gives us the sacraments to encounter Him. Nor can there be true Christianity without the sacraments: baptism, penance, Eucharist, marriage.... A clear example of this is the high number of confessions and communions at this WYD: issue . The young people are also in this line".

Decisive acceptance of the message of Jesus by young people

The financial aid to others has been another of the pillars of the Pope's message, adds Pablo Blanco: "It is an obligation for every Christian and is becoming the watchword of this pontificate. The poor are not just a Latin American problem, but, as Jesus said, 'you will always have them among you'. A Christian cannot ignore this reality and look the other way".

For the professor of the School of Theology of the campus Pamplona, the balance of the WYD is "positive and hopeful": positive because "the welcome given by the Brazilians and Latin Americans shows that it is still a Christian continent. The New World also loves the Pope, and has expressed it with the exuberance and vitality that characterizes him" and hopeful because "it can be seen that the Pope who has come 'from the end of the world' has a very numerous relay...".

"The core topic of WYD -points out this theologian- has been the decisive acceptance of the message of Jesus Christ on the part of the youth. The three million attendees prove it. In the face of the pessimistic accusation that the Church no longer has anything to say to future generations, this subject of massive responses is repeated again and again".