Pope speaks about childhood and early mornings as an altar boy in unscripted visit with campers
Leo shared the memories during an unscripted visit with the children of Vatican employees who are attending the Holy See's summer camp. They were joined by other children, including Ukrainian young people, who are attending summer programs run by Italy's Caritas charity.
The visit, which was not announced in advance, took place in the Vatican's main audience hall, which was decked out with huge inflatable bouncy castles for the estimated 600 kids.
One of the young campers, Giulia, asked Leo if he used to go to Mass as a child. The former Robert Prevost, who grew up the youngest of three brothers in the south Chicago suburb of Dolton, said the family always went to Mass on Sundays.
'But starting from when I was around 6 years old, I was also an altar boy in the parish. And so before going to school -- it was a parochial school -- there was Mass at 6:30 a.m.,' he said, emphasizing how early it was. 'And Mom would wake us up and say 'We're going to Mass!' Because serving Mass was something we liked because starting from when I was young, they taught us that Jesus was always close to us.'
Leo, who was born in 1955, recalled that at the time, Mass was celebrated in Latin. He said he had to learn it to serve Mass even before he made his First Communion, one of the key sacraments in the church.
'It wasn't so much the language that it was celebrated in but the experience of getting to know other kids who served the Mass together, the friendship, and this closeness with Jesus in the church,' he said.
Leo's brother, John Prevost, has said his little brother knew from a very young age that he wanted to be a priest. Young Robert used to pretend to celebrate Mass using their mother's ironing board as an altar and Necco candies — a once-popular sweet — as Communion wafers.
History's first American pope spoke in Italian, but he switched to English to address a group of Ukrainian children, some of whom held up Ukrainian flags and snagged Leo autographs. He spoke about the benefits of meeting people from different backgrounds, languages and lands.
It was one of the first times Leo has spoken unscripted at length in public, responding to questions posed to him by the children. He has tended to stick to his prepared texts for his audiences so far in his young pontificate.
___
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
25 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
What to know about Fourth of July holiday origins and traditions
St. Louis (AP) — The Fourth of July is Americana at its core: parades and cookouts and cold beer and, of course, fireworks. Those pyrotechnics also make it an especially dangerous holiday, typically resulting in more than 10,000 trips to the emergency room. Yet fireworks remain at the center of Independence Day, a holiday 247 years in the making. Here are five things to know about July Fourth, including the origin of the holiday and how fireworks became part of the tradition. WHAT'S THE ORIGIN OF INDEPENDENCE DAY? The holiday celebrates the Second Continental Congress' unanimous adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, a document announcing the colonies' separation from Great Britain. One year later, according to the Library of Congress, a spontaneous celebration in Philadelphia marked the anniversary of American independence. But across the burgeoning nation, observations didn't become commonplace until after the War of 1812. It quickly took off: The Library of Congress notes that major historic events in the 19th century, such as groundbreaking ceremonies for the Erie Canal and the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, were scheduled to coincide with Fourth of July festivities. HOW DID FIREWORKS BECAME A JULY FOURTH TRADITION? The display of pyrotechnics has been a big part of Independence Day from the outset. Founding Father John Adams saw it coming. Commemoration of America's independence 'ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more,' Adams wrote in a letter to his wife, Abigail, dated July 3, 1776. Fireworks were around centuries before America became a nation. The American Pyrotechnics Association says many historians believe fireworks were first developed in the second century B.C. in ancient China by throwing bamboo stalks into fires, causing explosions as the hollow air pockets overheated. By the 15th century, fireworks were widely used for religious festivals and public entertainment in Europe and early U.S. settlers carried on those traditions, the association said. HAS A PRESIDENT EVER REFUSED TO CELEBRATE? Presidents from George Washington to Donald Trump have celebrated the nation's birth on the Fourth of July, with one exception: Adams. His letter to his wife aside, Adams refused to celebrate the holiday on July 4 because he felt July 2 was the real Independence Day. Why? It was on July 2, 1776, that the Continental Congress voted in favor of the resolution for independence, though the Declaration of Independence wasn't formally adopted until two days later. Adams was so adamant that he turned down invitations to festivals and other events, even while serving as the nation's second president. Ironically, Adams and Thomas Jefferson, the primary author of the Declaration of Independence, both died on the 50th anniversary of the document's formal adoption, July 4, 1826. HOW POPULAR ARE FIREWORKS? Consumer sales of fireworks have grown rapidly over the past two decades. Statistics from the American Pyrotechnics Association show that in 2000, American consumers spent $407 million on fireworks. By 2024, that figure rose to $2.2 billion. The biggest jump came during the COVID-19 pandemic, when public fireworks displays were shut down. Consumer sales jumped from $1 billion in 2019 to $1.9 billion in 2020. The cost of fireworks could soar if the trade war between the U.S. and China continues — most aerial shells, paper rockets and sparkly fountains that transfix the eyes of Americans every Fourth of July are imported from China. A 90-day pause on Trump's hefty tariffs on Chinese imports brought some temporary relief, but industry experts are uncertain as they watch for an agreement. ARE FIREWORKS DANGEROUS? Despite widespread education efforts, thousands of Americans are badly injured by fireworks each year. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that in 2024, 11 deaths were blamed on fireworks, up 38% from 2023. An estimated 1,700 people were treated at emergency rooms for sparkler-related injuries and 14,7000 people were injured from fireworks — a 52% increase compared to 2023. Burns were the most common injury. People hurt their hands and fingers most often, and head, face and ear injuries were frequent, too. For those planning to shoot off fireworks, experts urge finding a flat, hard, level surface away from structures and other things that could catch fire. The person responsible for the fireworks should avoid alcohol. Children should never ignite them. Experts have also encouraged having a bucket or hose nearby in case of fire or explosion. Shoot off one at a time and walk away quickly after igniting, she said, and never relight or handle a malfunctioned firework. When done, shovel up the remains and soak them before disposing.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
The US left's glaring attention deficit
First of all, happy July 4 to American Swampians — and to British readers too. As a Brit living in the US, I feel it is a day to be Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
Time Business News
2 hours ago
- Time Business News
How an English Language Course in Lahore Improves Your Listening Skills
Many English students and professionals in Lahore face problems with listening. They try to speak but fail to understand spoken English. This issue creates stress and confusion. Lack of good listening creates barriers in learning. An english language course in lahore by House of Learning helps them to handle this issue in simple ways. Many English learners do not listen to English daily. This gap reduces their understanding. They speak their regional language in daily life. Therefore, students and professionals hardly listen to English conversations. Their poor exposure to real listening creates big hurdles for them. Native speakers speak very fast. So, most learners fail to catch the words. This speed creates confusion and stress. Moreover, language learners skip many words while listening. This problem affects understanding deeply. Different accents confuse language learners easily. Some speak in British style while some use American words. Learners fail to recognise words in different accents. Therefore, listening becomes harder. This issue blocks smooth communication. Limited vocabulary creates listening issues. Students hear words but fail to understand their meaning. Moreover, unknown words break the flow of listening. Therefore, their understanding becomes weak. Poor vocabulary harms both listening and speaking. Most language learners never watch English movies or news. This lack of exposure weakens their listening skills. Listening improves when the ears catch regular sounds of English. Therefore, missing this habit affects their learning. It also lowers confidence during conversations. Many English learners translate English into their regional language while listening. This habit slows down their understanding. Translating breaks the flow of listening. Therefore, the brain focuses more on meaning than on sound. This process creates confusion and mistakes. Some learners do not focus while listening. Therefore, they easily get distracted. Noise or other sounds break their attention. Eventually, their listening fails to stay active. Poor focus creates gaps in learning. Many language learners do not understand correct pronunciation. Words sound different from their spelling. Therefore, students miss the words while listening. Mispronounced words create misunderstandings. This problem affects both listening and speaking. Some English students focus more on grammar rules while listening. This pressure blocks natural understanding. Therefore, the brain divides attention between grammar and listening. As a result, their understanding becomes slower and harder. Language learners often speak in one-to-one situations only. Group conversations never happen in their routine. Therefore, they fail to find different voices at the same time. This issue damages their listening skills in real conversations. English sounds are quite different from Urdu sounds. Therefore, language learners struggle to catch new sounds easily. Therefore, their brain takes time to adjust. This issue creates slow listening progress. It often frustrates them. Written English looks easy but spoken English sounds different. Many students and professionals understand books but fail to catch spoken words. Therefore, listening becomes difficult. This difference creates a gap in their learning. Many language students never talk to fluent English speakers. Therefore, their ears do not pick natural sounds. This gap harms their listening growth. Regular interaction boosts listening power easily, but lack of it delays progress. An English language course in Lahore offered by House of Learning improves listening step by step. Trainers offer daily listening exercises. Language students listen to slow and fast English. Therefore, the brain adjusts at different speeds. This practice makes listening easier. This spoken English course includes role plays and group talks. Students listen to others in real situations. Therefore, listening becomes active. Group discussions train ears to handle many voices. This practice improves real-life communication. This professional English language course in Lahore uses videos, podcasts, and audio lessons. So, students listen to different accents and voices. That's how their listening grows stronger. As audio content trains ears better than books. Trainers help students spot their listening mistakes. Students repeat words until they sound clear. Therefore, wrong patterns slowly disappear. That's how trainers guide them step by step. This support strengthens their listening quickly. Limited listening skills create big hurdles for English learners in Lahore. Many reasons block this skill, like: Poor practice, Stress, Fast speech, and Weak vocabulary. An English language course in Lahore by House of Learning solves these problems effectively. Regular practice, real conversations, role plays, and trainer support make listening better. Students start understanding easily and speak with more confidence. Their listening grows step by step with simple and regular effort! Click here and read more blogs TIME BUSINESS NEWS
