Canadian pilgrims in Rome for the week-long Jubilee of Youth were delighted when Pope Leo XIV made an impromptu appearance in St. Peter’s Square immediately following the conclusion of the July 29 Welcoming Mass.

Youth delegate Ben Talbot from Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., told the Catholic Register, “We just celebrated the opening Mass and had a surprise visit from the Pope. There is cheering for the Pope in so many different languages.”

Celebrant Archbishop Rino Fisichella, pro-prefect for the New Evangelization section of the Dicastery for Evangelization, instructed pilgrims to stick around because the Pope “had a surprise for us.”

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Pope Leo appeared among the youth and spent approximately 20 minutes greeting the excited crowds as he toured St. Peter’s Square in the popemobile, and then gave a short address, opening with “Buona sera, buenas tardes, good evening.”

“Today marks the beginning of a few days, a journey, the Jubilee of Hope, and the world needs messages of hope. You are that message, and you must continue bringing hope to everyone,” he said.

The day began for the Canadian youth at the Church of Santa Andrea dell Valle at a special two-hour program. Some 800 of the 1,000 Canadian pilgrims who have travelled to Rome packed into the baroque church where they participated in “a bilingual proclamation of Scripture, dynamic witness panels from youth and bishops, multicultural musical praise, small group faith sharing and musical performances,” the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops said in a release. 

Four bishops from Canada are accompanying the Canadian pilgrims during the July 28-Aug. 3 Youth Jubilee: Bishop Bryan Bayda of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Eparchy of Saskatoon, Sault Ste. Marie Bishop Thomas Dowd, Montreal Archbishop Christian Lépine and Hearst–Moosonee Bishop Pierre-Olivier Tremblay.

Isabel Correa, coordinator for World Youth Day Canada, said the young people represented their dioceses and provinces at the Canadian gathering with loud cheering.

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“There were big cheers from all the provinces. It feels like a World Youth Day, and yet it’s not,” said Correa.

Josh Sullivan, a chaperone for the Sault Ste. Marie delegation, said “the streets of Rome are flowing with an energy and enthusiasm that is contagious.”

“For the young people to experience the true universality in our Church is such a great gift.  It’s amazing to watch their eyes light up as they are randomly stopped when recognized as Canadian Catholics,” said Sullivan.

Correa also reported that “several Canadians got to visit with the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life” on the morning of July 30. 

“It was nice to be able to share our Canadian reality. We had great representation from Edmonton, Melkite Catholics and the Archdiocese of Montreal.”

The Canadian youth missionary organization Catholic Christian Outreach (CCO) has a presence in Rome during the youth celebrations. Together with the Dicastery for Evangelization and the Jubilee Office, CCO organized several centres throughout Rome dedicated to “young saints,” including Blessed Carlo Acutis and Blessed Ivan Mertz. The centres will, according to the CCO website, “offer opportunities to learn about the patron saint, venerate relics related to them and participate in various events and programming.”

At the conclusion of the Pope’s impromptu remarks July 29, he blessed the pilgrims and told them, “See you in Tor Vergata.”  The closing Mass of the Youth Jubilee will be held Aug. 3 near the University of Rome Tor Vergata and will be celebrated by Pope Leo.

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Talbot is looking forward to the rest of the week’s events.

“It is heartwarming seeing the community of youth that comes together from all over the world and being able to connect with people your age through shared values, knowing you’re not alone and how strangers can become instant friends through God and faith. I hope to take away and gain a deeper understanding of my faith, that it is surely bigger than my local community, as well as to connect with like-minded friends from all over the world.”