Pope Francis called on young people to not have their voices silenced by older generations a day after marches across the globe called for greater gun control.
Francis did not mention the demonstrations while he spoke at Palm Sunday Mass at the Vatican, according to a report from Reuters. However, he did say that young people should not be silenced.
“There are many ways to silence young people and make them invisible,” the Pope said, according to Reuters. “Many ways to anesthetize them, to make them keep quiet, ask nothing, question nothing. There are many ways to sedate them, to keep them from getting involved, to make their dreams flat and dreary, petty and plaintive. Dear young people, you have it in you to shout.”
He added that it is “up to you not to keep quiet. Even if others keep quiet, if we older people and leaders, some corrupt, keep quiet, if the whole world keeps quiet and loses its joy, I ask you: Will you cry out?”
Francis did not mention the worldwide demonstrations as part of the March for Our Lives, which was spearheaded by students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, where a shooter killed 17 people on Feb. 14.
The demonstration calling for stricter gun control drew hundreds of thousands of people to Washington.
Francis didn’t directly reference the March for Our Lives during the speech, but has previously condemned gun manufacturing and mass shootings, Reuters said.
