New members of Vatican youth advisory body begin 5-year journey

By Devin Watkins

“On our journey of life, we sometimes find that we don’t get the guidance we need, but if we just read Christus vivit, we will find our course.”

That’s the advice from Selestino Mupfigo, a young man from Zimbabwe who is now a member of the International Youth Advisory Body (IYAB), which is overseen by the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life.

The Final Document of the 2018 Synod on Young People asked the Dicastery to spearhead the initiative to support their Youth Office.

This marks the second group of young people to participate in the IYAB, after the first group completed their five-year term in 2023.

Finding a roadmap for life as young Christians

Speaking to Vatican News at the end of their first meeting in Rome, Mr. Mupfigo praised Pope Francis’ Apostolic Exhortation Christus vivit, which drew on the Final Document of the 2018 Synod, calling it a roadmap for the lives of young Catholics.

He said the meeting in Rome has set the newly-composed advisory body on a productive course, since they were able to develop friendships that will aid their work over the next five years.

“We focused on our dreams and experiences from our own realities and how we can bring them together to have one mission that we can work on together as a body,” he said.

Mr. Mupfigo expressed his hopes that his four years of ministry with young people in Zimbabwe will help inform the IYAB’s work to advise the Holy Father and the Dicasteries of the Roman Curia on issues regarding youth.

Composed of 20 young people appointed in October, this second IYAB cohort hails from various parts of the globe, and several belong to international movements, associations, and communities.

Discovering God in daily life and society

Jiun Lee, a young woman from South Korea, highlighted the synodal methodology used by the Advisory Body.

“What we do is bring experiences from our own lives, and we share that with the Dicastery,” she told Vatican News. “We also use the Conversation in the Spirit method to explore our experiences from 20 different countries.”

Speaking about her own experience as a member of the Catholic minority in South Korea, Ms. Lee said she has always felt called to actively ask herself: “Where is God for me? How is He involved in my life?”

She has found answers in her interactions and ministry with other young people as part of Bible-study groups.

“Through those experiences, I discover how God is at work in us as individuals, as groups, and as a society,” she said.

Pope’s encouragement to be courageous youth

Pope Francis met on Friday morning with the members of the International Youth Advisory Body to encourage them at the beginning of their journey together.

“Before we met the Pope we were very nervous,” Ms. Lee admitted. “But when we met him, he welcomed us so warmly and told us to be courageous. We received a very good energy from the Pope this morning.”