They struggled to find their way through the festive bustle and hubbub in St. Peter’s Square, but a big smile lit up the faces of Elisa and Jade, two friends from Bordeaux, France, when they talked about Leo XIV. On the morning of July 29, Pope Leo XIV received them along with a group of nearly 600 people, mainly French speakers, in the Apostolic Palace.
After the audience, the two young women were still in awe. “It was like we had gone behind the screen,” explained Elisa, who until then had seen Leo XIV as an “unapproachable” person who could only be seen on television.
Elisa is a catechumen and will be baptized at Easter in 2026, while Jade was baptized during the Easter Vigil this year. Like everyone else present at the audience, they were chosen because of their recent decision to join the Church, a phenomenon that has grown in France in recent years.
“The fact that we are given access to the Pope because we are catechumens or neophytes, I think it’s really great,” says Elisa.
Her friend Jade describes the encounter as a “great blessing,” saying she felt supported. “This meeting helps us find our place in the Church, which isn’t always easy when you come from non-Catholic families,” she says.
“It was a bit like meeting the head of the Catholic family,” adds Elisa.
The catechumen says she was very touched by the Pope’s speech, delivered in French, finding it very “accessible.”
“He put himself in our shoes by emphasizing how difficult our journey can be,” she says. “The Pope seems really kind and gentle,” says the young woman from Bordeaux, who still can’t believe she got to say hello to him.
“Then the Pope arrived.”
“This is my first Jubilee. I’m just going with the flow, but I think it was the most important moment of the week,” said Étienne, 19, who lives in Rennes, France. The young man, who became a catechumen last December, apologizes for not yet knowing all the Church vocabulary. Still, he has no trouble describing his visit to the Apostolic Palace, where he arrived at dawn with the rest of the group. The Swiss guards in their yellow, blue, and red uniforms and the grandeur and gold of the Vatican halls particularly amazed him.
Etienne
CD / Aleteia
“Then the Pope arrived, dressed all in white,” he said, emphasizing his emotion at the moment. Although he notes the Pope’s “strong American accent” in his speech, he believes that the Pope’s address showed a certain mastery of the language of Molière. From this brief speech, what particularly stayed with Étienne was the message about the “loss of meaning” concerning sexuality in today’s society.
“It gives us the strength to go out and proclaim the Gospel.”
Aurélien, 23, Axelle, 19, and Karl, 20, are all part of a small group from the Diocese of Soissons, France, who were able to meet the Pope this morning.
Accompanied by their bishop, Renauld de Dinechin, they recall this unforgettable morning: the singing in the Hall of Blessings where they were received, the exchange of testimonies between neophytes and catechumens, and finally the arrival of the Pope.
“I was lucky enough to have him sign my Magnificat,” says Aurélien, showing off his little monthly missal signed “Leo XIV.” Axelle, who also received a papal autograph, notes the Pope’s attention, as he took the time to greet most of the young people.
Aurélien, Axelle et Karl.
CD / Aleteia
“And it’s really nice that he can speak to us in French, even if we could tell that it was sometimes difficult,” adds Karl, who particularly enjoyed his catechesis. “He enlightened us on the dangers of modern life,” he notes, highlighting his reference to a “culture of death.”
“Sometimes we’re a little afraid of being alone when we join the Church, but with this kind of visit, we really understand that it’s a big family,” says Axelle.
She adds, “We’re not alone; the Pope sees us in our small way. “And that gives us the strength to go out and proclaim the Gospel,” concludes Aurélien with conviction.
