Pope Leo XIV will address thousands of young Catholics during the National Catholic Youth Conference through livestream
By William Van de Planque | On Mission
INDIANAPOLIS — Pope Leo XIV will have a special digital encounter with American Catholic youth attending the National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC) this Friday, November 21, 2025.
The three-day annual event, organized and sponsored by the National Federation of Catholic Youth Ministry (NFCYM), takes place in different cities each year and is hosted by the Archdiocese of Indianapolis this year.
According to NCYC’s website, the Church’s first American pontiff will address and “participate in a 45-minute real-time dialogue” with roughly 15,000 conference attendees at Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the Indianapolis Colts NFL football team.
This marks the first time that a pope will directly engage with U.S. Catholic youth in a live digital setting. Pope Leo will give opening and closing remarks, as well as a blessing.
More than 40 teens have participated in the dialogue planning process, and five of them will get the chance to speak directly with the Holy Father, according to the Catholic News Agency.
Mia Smothers, from Joppa, Maryland; Elise Wing, from Waterloo, Iowa; Christopher Pantelakis, from Mesquite, Nevada; Micah Alcisto, from Honolulu, Hawaii; and Ezequiel Ponce, from Downey, California, will ask Pope Leo questions next week as thousands of other teens gather to watch and listen.
EWTN Global Catholic Network is the media partner for the historic live digital event. EWTN CEO Michael Warsaw said the presentation is a special opportunity for the young people, and the company is honored to help facilitate it, according to CatholicVote.
“As we continue to grow and adapt our media platforms, serving younger audiences has become an essential part of our mission,” Warsaw said. “This historic encounter will not only inspire young people but also invite them more deeply into the heart of the Church.”
The digital encounter will be broadcast live on EWTN at 9:15 CST, Friday morning. Click here for live viewing: onmiss.io/digitalencounter