Steady job 'isn't everything,' pope tells youth
Benedict also recalls days in Hitler Youth
03 September, 16:17
(ANSA) - Vatican City, September 3 - A steady job isn't everything in life and young people should look to God for more, Pope Benedict XVI says in his message for World Youth Day next summer.
In the message, part of which was released Friday, the pope says: "Seeking a job and having solid ground underneath one's feet is a great and pressing problem...(but) the real solid points for youth are to be found in faith and the values underlying society".
These values, the pope said, "come from the Gospels".
Benedict also looks back to his days in the Hitler Youth and says "we were closed in by a dominant power, we wanted to get out and enjoy the fullness of the possibilities of being human".
In 1941, the then Joseph Ratzinger was conscripted into the Hitler Youth as required by law for all 14-year-olds.
But he was an unenthusiastic member who refused to attend meetings.
His father was an enemy of Nazism, believing it conflicted with the Catholic faith.
The XXVI World Youth Day will take place in Madrid on August 16-21, 2011.
