Delco Catholic Students To Meet Pope Leo XIV Virtually

MARPLE TOWNSHIP, PA — Catholic school students in Delaware County will have a chance to meet Pope Leo XIV digitally this week, according to the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

Archdiocesan high schools throughout the five-county region will gather their full school communities simultaneously for “Pope Rallies” for "Pope Leo Live: A Call to Unity and Peace!"

Students at Cardinal O'Hara High School in Springfield from 10:15 a.m. to 11 a.m. Friday will bear witness to the Pope's participation in a live, real-time digital encounter with about 15,000 youths from across the United States who are attending the National Catholic Youth Conference in Indianapolis.

This event is being called "Pope Leo Live!" and it marks the first time in history that a Pontiff will participate in a virtual conversation of this scale.

Students at Archbishop Wood High School, Bishop Shanahan High School, Pope John Paul II High School, Archbishop Ryan High School, and Little Flower Catholic High School for Girls will also be participating.

Most Reverend Nelson J. Pérez, D.D., Archbishop of Philadelphia, who also serves as the Episcopal Advisor and a Board Member for the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry, will be present at the conference and will participate in the live remote conversation with the Pope.

"Even in a globalized world, the Church can seem far away for young people," Perez said. "The Holy Father’s choice to encounter the American Youth in this way is an expression of his closeness to Catholic youth, following in the footsteps of his predecessor Pope Francis who called the youth the "now of God.'"