On November 21st, Pope Leo XIV got on a video call and talked to young Catholics in Indianapolis for the National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC).
NCYC happens every year, switching from Long Beach, California to Indianapolis, Indiana. It takes place the Thursday, Friday, and Saturday before Thanksgiving.
This year, Archbishop Nelson Pérez of Philadelphia, former Bishop of the Diocese of Cleveland, had asked Pope Leo to record a video giving wise words to the United States high school students attending the event. As the first American Pope, he agreed and decided to make it even better by video calling into Lucas Oil Stadium. That day, at about 10:45 am, the stadium got into a call with the Pope. People around the world were also able to join as it was being streamed from EWTN, a U.S. Catholic broadcaster.
Though most of it was scripted as he was given the questions in advance, someone had asked him at the beginning what word he begins his Wordle with. He responded that it changes every day.
For many students and adults in attendance, the moment felt surreal. Seeing a Pope, especially one from the United States, appear in a giant stadium live from Rome made the crowd erupt in cheers. It was similar to a concert. There were chants when he arrived on the screen, people waved towards the camera, and many people turned the lights on their silly hats, a tradition for NCYC. There was a sudden shift from silence to complete chaos when his face arrived on screen.
Pope Leo used the call to encourage young people to bring kindness, courage, and joy to their communities. He urged people to follow the life of St. Carlos Acutis, the first millennial saint who was canonized earlier this year. Carlos set time limits on his games and social media, and The Pope wanted people to follow suit. He also gave his insight into artificial intelligence. He said though it can be helpful, don’t rely on it. It can ”…process information quickly, but it cannot replace human intelligence.” Pope Leo said to the laughing crowd.
The call added a unique twist to this year’s conference, reminding people that even though he is a global leader, he is also just a person and can connect with young people in simple modern ways.
