In a world where wars are waging, shootings are on the rise and terror is around every corner, thousands of youth attended a Christian prayer event on the Washington, D.C. National Mall.

The meeting called for unity among all Christians and, with Pope Francis sending a special video message from Rome, for all people to stand together and “give Jesus a try.”

POPE FRANCIS

“Do you want to know what your restlessness is? I invite you to a great gathering of youth in Washington, D.C. to find the One who can give you an answer to your restlessness. God does not leave anyone disillusioned. Jesus is waiting for you. He is the One who planted the seeds of restlessness in your heart. Give it a try! You have nothing to lose! Try it. Then you can tell me.”

Leading up to the event, there was some controversy about Pope Francis, considered by some to be a political leader, sending a message to the youth. However, Christian event leader, Nick Hall, commented that he wanted to include all forms of Christianity and the entire Church.

The event used the Twitter hashtag #JesusChangesEverything and was in the top three most used hashtags on Saturday, with more than 30,000 tweets.

In addition to Pope Francis endorsing the event, 40 prominent Christian leaders and singers, like Matt Maher, Crowder, Lacrae, Hillsong United and Passion also attended.

It was an event of prayer, reflection and unity that was cut four hours short due to the rising temperatures and the resulting heat-related problems.