Pope Leo offered wisdom for all ages during digital encounter

I was planning to drive the short couple of hours to Indianapolis Nov. 21 to be present for the digital encounter between the young people at the National Catholic Youth Conference and Pope Leo XIV. But at the last minute, plans changed, and I ended up watching the livestream on TV with my husband and children.

While I'd been looking forward to being among the American crowd addressed live by an American pope -- a sentence that I still find remarkable to write -- the distance and my own particular audience of five gave me another perspective.

For months, a group of teens had been putting together the list of questions they asked Pope Leo, and the final choices reflected thought, prayer, intentionality and personality. But while the questions were ideated and crafted by Gen Z'ers, and while the answers from Pope Leo were prepared for the same audience, I found the exchange resonated deeply with my Millennial heart and with the Gen Alpha hearts of my kids.

How does one accept God's mercy when you've made mistakes or feel like you've let people down? How can I give my problems to God when I feel sad or overwhelmed? How can we communicate better? How do we battle distractions? How do we balance technology with interpersonal relationships? What should we be cautious about when using AI? How is the church preparing for the future? And how can we play a part in the life and the future of the church?

These were great questions -- narrow enough to be authentic to the creators and the audience, but broad enough for universal application. And they were made even better by Pope Leo's ability to answer the fundamentally human questions with beautifully eternal truths. His clear words, thoughtful preparation and accessible delivery made it a momentous event for all who watched -- young, old and anywhere in-between.

How does one accept God's mercy? Don't focus only on our sins, but go to Jesus with confidence. How do we give our problems to God? Spend time with him in prayer. Communication? Pray for the gift of true friends, and speak honestly about what you feel, what you think, what you experience.

Don't we all need such advice?

And then there was the tech conversation -- a conversation that, in 2025, applies to each one of us, regardless of generation. "There are all kinds of temptations and all kinds of distractions, but there's only one, Jesus Christ," Pope Leo said. "We need to use it (technology) wisely without letting it overshadow our relationships. Make sure technology serves your life and not the other way around."

Yes. This, this and this.

Finally, for those of us who feel a little ragged sometimes by some of the negative news in the church, or those of us who are still battling wounds at the hands of ecclesial leaders, Pope Leo offers this consolation: "The church prepares for the future by staying faithful to what Jesus asks of us today. He told us not to be overwhelmed by worries, but to seek first the kingdom of God, trusting that everything else will fall into place, and he promised that the Holy Spirit would guide us and help us understand what we need to do."

I am grateful to Archbishop Nelson Perez of Philadelphia, episcopal adviser for the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry, for coordinating the visit with EWTN's Montse Alvarado, who met with Pope Leo back in September.

The digital encounter gave us the opportunity to watch Pope Leo come to life as he connected to the youths gathered in Indianapolis. At the same time, it strengthened his connection with each of us watching from a distance. For a few minutes, we got to feel a part of the banter (the Chicago baseball fan only wears "white socks"), to get a taste of Leo's personality ("don’t let AI do your homework!") and to feel like we entered into a deeper relationship with him, one that inspired us to seek out a deeper relationship with Our Lord.

The digital encounter was an unexpected and delightful pre-Thanksgiving gift, and it left Americans filled with gratitude -- and more than ready for the real thing.