Love compared to the tango, the dance of his homeland, Argentina, which Pope Francis confessed to having “danced often” as a young man. A “wonderful, free play between man and woman.” Thus begins the unpublished text that the Pontiff wrote as a preface to the book “Youcat: Love Forever,” published by the Youcat Foundation, publisher of the official Catechism for young people of the Catholic Church. Designed to accompany new generations on the journey toward Christian marriage, the volume will be published soon.

Life in Fullness

In traditional Argentine dance, the Pope writes, “the male and female dancers court each other, experience closeness and distance, sensuality, attention, discipline, and dignity. They revel in love and feel what it can mean to give themselves completely.” The Pontiff’s gaze, however, is not disappointed: “How many marriages fail today after three, five, seven years?” he observes. “Wouldn’t it be better, then, to avoid pain, to touch only as in a fleeting dance, to enjoy each other, to play together, and then to let go?” he asks. “Don’t believe!” he responds forcefully, addressing the young people. “Believe in love, believe in God, and believe that you can face the adventure of a lifelong love.” Indeed, within human beings resides “the desire to be accepted without reservation,” and experiencing it leads to an ultimate gain: “life in fullness.”

Love is not to be trifled with

“One flesh!” writes Francis, quoting Sacred Scripture and referring to that marital union for which “adequate preparation is necessary,” because “all the life develops in love, and love is not to be trifled with.” The Pope therefore proposes a “catechumenate.” A term that in the early Church indicates “a journey, often multi-year, of learning and personal verification.” A journey that leads to that Amoris laetitia—the title of his Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation—to that “joy of love” that, “step by step,” “with eyes full of wonder, must not stop.”