After the traditional evening prayers inside the basilica, Pope Francis made his way through the crowds towards a life-size Nativity scene, part of the Maltese crib at the Vatican.
He said that doors and opportunities need to be opened for young people of the world so that they can be capable of dreaming and fighting for their dreams, and get an opportunity to turn those into reality.
He said in his homily that by not attending to the problems besetting the youths of today, governments are condemning young people to have no place in society, adding that it is synonymous to pushing them to the margins of public life, forcing them to beg for jobs that no longer exist, or fail to promise them a bright future.
While governments are saying that the youth is the future of their respective countries and are often idolized, most of their actions say otherwise.
The pope said that such inaction is pushing the youth to the edges of public life in desperation.
Pope Francis also explained that the world owed young people a debt because they have been deprived of a dignified and genuine work that would allow them to take part in society, but instead condemned them to knock on doors that for the most part remain closed.