God Is Joy. Pope Francis Meets New Horizons

“On September 24, 2019, Pope Francis secretly visited Cittadella Cielo to spend a day with the young people welcomed there, listen to their stories, and talk with them. For many years, the community has cared for the wounds of the soul of those who, after enduring extremely difficult trials, have come to experience the death of the heart. By now, thousands of people have experienced the miracle of a life reborn in hope and love. It was an intense day, marked by tears of emotion and joy. Such a beautiful day that we wished we could share it with the whole world. This is how the idea for this book was born. In it, I have collected the testimonies shared with the Holy Father by some young people, the contributions of friends who attended this long and meaningful meeting - Nek, Andrea Bocelli, Matteo Marzotto, Fabio Fazio - and above all, the thoughts Pope Francis shared with us while speaking with us and then during Mass. I have enriched the text with a brief interview I conducted with the pope and other speeches of his specifically about joy. I hope that in these pages everyone can rediscover something of the emotion, light, and grace that touched the hearts of all of us who had the gift of taking part in this wonderful day together with Pope Francis. His words, full of affection, humor, encouragement, and powerful reminders of the teachings of the Gospel, invite us to commit ourselves each day to walking in the Spirit, to building and rebuilding our lives in love, so that the joy to which we are all called may shine fully within them.” Chiara Amirante