Father João, you came to Rome first to complete part of your studies as a seminarian, then for 10 years you were International Assistant of the community, contributing to the expansion of the Shalom charism in the five continents and then, since 2011, you’ve served in the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, in the Vatican, where you have dedicated yourself entirely to young people by organizing World Youth Day (WYD) and other initiatives, such as the Youth Forum…
What is your personal assessment of your time on mission in Italy and of your work in the Dicastery?
Working in Rome, in the Vatican and collaborating with the mission of the Holy Father has made me understand that our mission is to create bridges, to connect people, to unite them. A Dicastery of the Roman Curia must be a place where people can meet and walk together. Especially working with WYD, you contemplate the miracles of God. It is impossible to organize an event of such great dimensions without perceiving the hand of God guiding everything. Without grace, it would be impossible.
Have you been able to say goodbye to the Pope yet?
I was able to meet with the Pope last January and shared with him some experiences of these years on mission in Rome. I told him that since I arrived in Italy my intention has always been to live for love: my studies as a seminarian, my vocational, missionary and priestly life, my service in the Vatican. I was also able to convey to the Holy Father the prayer intentions of relatives and people close to me and, finally, he blessed me. It was a very meaningful meeting.
Tell us about an experience that has marked your priestly and missionary life?
An image that marked me very much was something that happened to me at the 2019 Youth Forum, also organized by the Dicastery. Once it was over, the participants went to get their backpacks and suitcases at the San Lorenzo Center near the Vatican. When I left the center there was a group of young people who surrounded me and, each in their own language, said: Thank you! That gratitude struck me, as well as contemplating the participation in WYD and seeing those crowds waving flags of so many countries, a true multitude of all races and nations, a living image of the catholicity of our Church.
You have had the opportunity to meet many young people from different cultures. What do they all have in common?
It seems obvious, but it is the search for the true, the good and the beautiful. That restlessness in the good sense. Young people have a mark of God, they are restless, and they generate a movement around them. They have a restlessness, a desire to transform reality, to be important to someone, and to ask many questions.
In your opinion, what are the crosses of youth today?
The challenges are many, but I would highlight the climate of polarization in today’s society and the many ideologies that result in war; everything becomes a reason for division and separation. In addition, the crisis of families leads to a crisis in the youth, of the sense of belonging, of feeling loved, with a role in the world. Even with the challenges, I believe that the good always outweighs the bad. Young people are not a problem, they are hope for the Church and for the world.
The next WYD will be in 2027, in Seoul, South Korea. Tell us about the country and its culture.
Seoul is a huge city. There are many young people suffering from loneliness and there is a very high suicide rate. The demands on young people in their studies and professional life are enormous and there is also the wound of the division between the north and the south. At the same time, there is a great attention on South Korea in today’s world, with an increasing diffusion of its culture through movies, series, technology, etc.
The Church in South Korea was born a few centuries ago through lay people who came to know the Christian faith and decided to live it even without knowledge of the faith. It is a Church marked by persecution and martyrdom. Today South Korea is an interreligious society in which Christianity has a strong presence.
In this context, what can the Shalom charism bring to the Church today?
Our charism was born from the experience of a young man who encountered the love of God and was able, from very early on, to channel his potential towards God, towards the Church, wanting to do good to his neighbor and to humanity.
For us, the youth are our first apostolate. Through my service in the Vatican I have had the opportunity to offer the Church the best we have, which is our love for the youth. The Shalom charism exists for the youth.
Returning to Brazil, the Community is immersed in the preparatory process for the General Assembly to be held in Fortaleza next August. What do you think will be the main points discussed?
“For new wine, fresh wineskins.” I believe that the Assembly will be a time of a new difussion of the Holy Spirit for the whole Community. It will be an experience of communion, fraternity, unity, and a new missionary sending out, strengthened and consistent. The Community is in a time of change; we have grown a lot in the last years, and this requires new structures of government that must accompany this movement with a new spirit.
Photos: Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life
