God Is Young: Neuroscientific Background of Pope's Thoughts about Youth

The article is an extended version of the inaugural lecture the author held at the annual celebration of St. Tomas Aquinas. It presents an original view of the value and wisdom of young people, youth and adolescence in general. Relying on neuroscientific research, it discusses the concrete implementation of the potential adolescence has for better living and the renewal of the Catholic Church. It also refers to the understanding and spiritual meaning of youth in the papal documents of Pope Francis. Comparing the theological evaluation of the youth and adolescence by Pope Francis in his circular God is young and post-synodal exhortation Christus vivit with the recent neuroscientific findings, we ask the question: How would it be if we really looked at adolescence as having the greatest emotional, social, mental, creative potential for one's well-being and spiritual growth. The article articulates three possible answers to this question.