“Dear young people, we did not come into the world to 'vegetate' ... We came for another reason: to leave a mark,” said the Pope.

“The times we live in do not call for young 'couch potatoes' but for young people with shoes, or better, boots laced.”

He warned of a “harmful and insidious paralysis” that comes from “confusing happiness with a sofa”.

“A sofa that promises us hours of comfort so we can escape to the world of video games and spend all kinds of time in front of a computer screen,” he said. “A sofa that keeps us safe from any kind of pain and fear.”