BACKGROUND ON THE ESSAY PROMPT:

On May 8, 2025, for the first time in the history of the Roman Catholic Church, an American was elected Pope, the Vicar of Christ, the Chair of St. Peter. The announcement, following the appearance of white smoke from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, came at 6:07 pm in Rome, which was 12:07 pm EST. The formal announcement from the loggia (balcony) of St. Peter’s Basilica was made by Cardinal Protodeacon Dominique Mamberti first in Latin, the language of the Church:

Annuntio vobis gaudium:

HABEMUS PAPAM
Eminentissimum ac reverendissimum Dominum Robertum Franciscum Sanctae Romane Ecclesiae Cardinalem Prevost
qui sibi nomen imposuit Leo XIV.

Which in English means:

I announce to you a great joy:

WE HAVE A POPE

The Most Eminent and Most Reverend

Robert Francis Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church Prevost
who has taken the name Leo XIV.

Moments later, the new pope appeared on the balcony, visibly moved with emotion and his first words to the multitudes of faithful below were first in Italian:

“La pace sia con tutti voi!”

Which in English means:

"Peace be with all of you!"

In August of 2025, Pope Leo celebrated Mass at the Jubilee of Youth 2025, held at Tor Vergata, Italy. During his homily at the closing Mass, Pope Leo said,

"Dear friends, we are not made for a life where everything is taken for granted and fixed, but for an existence that is constantly regenerated in giving, in love…And so we continually aspire to something more than no created reality can give us, we feel a great and burning thirst, so great that no drink of this world can quench it. Faced with this thirst, let us not deceive our hearts by trying to quench it with ineffective substitutes! Let us listen to it, instead! Let us make it a stool on which we can climb, so that we can look out, like children, on tiptoe, at the window of our encounter with God. We will find ourselves before Him, who awaits us, or rather, who knocks gently on the window of our soul (cf. Rev 3:20). And it is beautiful, even at 20 years of age, to open our hearts wide to Him, to allow Him to enter, and then to venture forth with Him, toward the eternal spaces of infinity.”

Just a few weeks later, on September 7, 2025, the Church celebrated the first saints canonized by the new Holy Father, two young men, one who would become the first millennial saint, St. Carlo Acutis. St. Carlo was an ordinary Italian teenager who loved soccer and video games. He was inspired by Steve Jobs who founded Apple, the company that created much of the technology we all depend on daily. But, Carlo Acutis also loved the Eucharist, and he spent many hours of prayer in front of the Blessed Sacrament during Eucharistic Adoration. He was a catechist and taught his young students the importance of using technology as a tool, and that they were not to allow technology to dominate their lives, or to allow themselves to be controlled by it. Carlo used technology to create a website documenting Eucharistic miracles around the world. From that website an exhibition was created that has traveled around the world bringing the information to the faithful.

St. Carlo died at the very young age of 15 from leukemia. The Church celebrates his feast day on October 12th, to recognize the anniversary of his death. One of the most memorable quotes we have from St. Carlo is simple but powerful: “All people are born as originals but many die as photocopies.”

Note: All information contained in the Background Information was obtained from the following sources:

• https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2025-05/cardinal-elected-pope-papal-name.html
• https://www.iubilaeum2025.va/en/notizie/comunicati/2025/giovani-papa-leone-aspirate-cose-grandi-santita.html
• https://www.usccb.org/jubileeyoungpeople2025
• https://www.wordonfire.org/articles/carlo-acutis-the-first-millennial-saint/

CBN-MC ESSAY PROMPT: 

In a personal essay of no more than 500 words, consider the following points as you reflect on the importance of the words of Pope Leo, the first American pope in the history of the Church, when he spoke to the youth at Tor Vergata, as well as the significance of his canonization of St. Carlo Acutis:

• Explain what Pope Leo meant by his statements that “…we are not made for a life where everything is taken for granted and fixed, but for an existence that is constantly regenerated in giving, in love” and “…we continually aspire to something more that no created reality can give us, we feel a great and burning thirst, so great that no drink of this world can quench it. Faced with this thirst, let us not deceive our hearts by trying to quench it with ineffective substitutes!”
• Explain the significance of Pope Leo canonizing Carlo Acutis as the first millennial saint. How important is St. Carlo Acutis and his teachings as a role model for the youth of today, especially with the use of technology for education, work, and play? How can you apply his famous quote to your own life?

With the power of social media and the constant pressure to conform to popular trends, what can you do as a 7th grade Catholic school student to remain rooted in your faith, rooted in the values given to you by your parents, teachers, priests, and other important adults in your life?