Fellow youths pray over Wesley Padgett, a parishioner of St. Stephen Cathedral in Owensboro, during the National Catholic Youth Conference in November 2025. RILEY GREIF | WKC

BY LAURETTA BROWN AND GINA CHRISTIAN, OSV NEWS

INDIANAPOLIS (OSV News) – Pope Leo XIV encouraged American youth in a unique digital discussion Nov. 21, telling them that they were not only the “future of the Church,” but “the present,” saying “your voices, your ideas, your faith matter right now.”

He spoke in response to questions from students in a 45-minute virtual dialogue at the National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC) in Indianapolis with an estimated crowd of 16,000 young people ages 14-18.

Katie Prejean McGrady, host of the “Katie McGrady Show” on SiriusXM’s The Catholic Channel, moderated the discussion at Lucas Oil Stadium in which Pope Leo fielded questions from five high school students: Mia Smothers from the Archdiocese of Baltimore; Ezequiel Ponce from the Archdiocese of Los Angeles; Christopher Pantelakis from the Archdiocese of Las Vegas; Micah Alcisto from the Diocese of Honolulu; and Elise Wing from the Archdiocese of Dubuque, Iowa.

The questions touched on themes of technology use, artificial intelligence, forgiveness, hope and the Church’s future. The students developed them in meetings with other students and organizers and they were sent to the pope in advance.

Pope Leo XIV grins while talking with youth during a live virtual encounter at NCYC on Nov. 21, 2025, inside Lucas Oil Stadium. RILEY GREIF | WKC

Elise Wing, who had asked the Holy Father about the future of the Church, told reporters following the event that “walking up on that stage felt like history.” Wing said it was an honor that the pope “said our names,” and she found his response to her “personable and so profound.”

“He gave us so much hope for the future and for the church and the coming ages,” she said.

Ezequiel Ponce, who asked Pope Leo for advice about perseverance in prayer amid difficult times, said he thought the pope “gave an incredible answer” like “he was speaking directly to me.” He said he was sure the pope’s response “definitely resonated” with others.

The pope told Ponce, “Jesus does not just understand our struggles from a distance. He actually wants us to hand them to him, because he loves us. And that kind of trust starts when we have a real relationship.” The Holy Father encouraged Eucharistic adoration and daily prayer, saying Jesus “often speaks to us gently in stillness.”

“Scripture says that faithful friends are like a strong shelter and a treasure,” he added, “I hope you are forming friendships like that, even during this conference, friendships rooted in faith, rooted in love for Jesus; whether it is a trusted adult or close friend, it’s important to speak honestly about what you feel, what you think, what you experience.”

Pope Leo started things off light by responding to a comment from McGrady that she had given the pope a pair of socks some time ago and also wanted to know what he used as an opening word when he played Wordle each day.

Youth and adult leaders from St. Joseph Parish in Central City smile for a photo with Bishop William F. Medley while attending the National Catholic Youth Conference in Indianapolis in November 2025. RILEY GREIF | WKC

“I just want to say I only wear white socks, and I use a different word for Wordle every day, so there’s no set starting word,” he said with a laugh. Pope Leo is well-known to be a fan of the Chicago White Sox baseball team.

McGrady told reporters the pope’s digital encounter started off a moment of connection with young people right at the beginning “when he laughed right when we got started, and then just started to ease into his answers.” She saw that the pontiff was truly being a spiritual father in the encounter.

Bishop William F. Medley of the Diocese of Owensboro has attended NCYC for many years. This year, his diocese, through the efforts of the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry, saw 260 registrations from parishes across western Kentucky, which included youth, adult leaders and priests.

The bishop told The Western Kentucky Catholic that in the past, NCYC provided a time and space for visiting bishops to be available for meeting and greeting attendees at the Indiana Convention Center. Bishop Medley always made sure to attend this session, so that he could meet his diocesan youth and even other participants who happened to pass through.

While the “bishops’ corner” session was phased out in recent years, Bishop Medley still coordinates with diocesan youth ministry director Charlie Hardesty to meet with the different groups attending from his diocese during free time.

“How often, other than at your Confirmation, are you likely to meet your bishop?” asked Bishop Medley, pointing out the convenience of this tradition. “Charlie flags down (his diocesan groups that pass by) and Riley takes photos of us together,” he said of the diocese’s digital media specialist, Riley Greif, who regularly attends NCYC as well.

He appreciated how much of an impression Pope Leo made upon the youth during the virtual conversation: “It’s like they felt like they’d seen him in person,” said the bishop.

“That cheer – ‘Leo, Leo, we love Leo’ – was authentic,” said Bishop Medley of a chant that erupted in Lucas Oil Stadium at the end of the pope’s virtual encounter.

Elizabeth Wong Barnstead contributed to this story.

During the National Catholic Youth Conference, Bishop William F. Medley had the opportunity to visit with two women from the Diocese of Owensboro who are now in formation with the Salesian Sisters of St. John Bosco. On the left is Amber Payne, who grew up at Immaculate Parish in Owensboro and attended Owensboro Catholic Schools and Brescia University; to the right is Aislinn Domantay, who is originally from the Archdiocese of Atlanta but who served as a theology teacher at Owensboro Catholic Middle School for several years. COURTESY OF CHARLIE HARDESTY

Originally printed in the January 2026 issue of The Western Kentucky Catholic.