Why do so many Gen Zs like me love the Pope?
Pope Leo XIV is appealing to a new generation with TikTok memes, student saints and a firm stance against AI, says Maria Ward-Brennan
When Pope Leo XIV was first elected, I’ll be honest: I wasn’t overly keen. Part of me believed the Pope should come from a Catholic country. But this US-born man has changed my opinion over the last year, and, in turn, my opinion of the Church I once hated.
For context, I am Irish, and a walking stereotype: I attended an all-girls Catholic school (a convent for secondary school), completed Holy Communion and Confirmation, and even served as an altar girl.
However, like many of my peers at school, I began to seriously question the Church, and at a certain point during my teens, I even despised it, especially after learning about the dark, twisted history it had in my country.
A dark, twisted past
The 2009 Murphy Report, which detailed the sexual abuse scandal, was damning. You could feel a dark cloud of shame and anger spread across the country as its findings dominated the airwaves.
The more I learned about the abuse of children and the horrendous treatment of Irish women in the Magdalene laundries, the more I was turned off by the church.
I didn’t think much about the Church until 2017, when it was revealed that babies born to women who were forced to give birth and tragically died were buried in a disused sewage tank. That revelation was the final straw for any respect I had left for the Church.
A new era
But as most Catholics will attest, once you are in, it is very difficult to leave.
Despite hating the Church’s troubling past, I can’t turn a blind eye to the beauty of a Catholic mass, the feeling of lighting a candle, and the actual belief in God. Guilt always wins out over doubt.
I didn’t like Pope Benedict, and I didn’t have much of an opinion of Pope Francis. But right now, I find myself seeking a voice of reason in a world that is becoming more hostile and divided, and I am drawn to Pope Leo’s nonchalant attitude towards prominent political figures, such as Donald Trump.
I find his use of soft power – like calling for peace during such a war-riven time – refreshing.
His critical view of AI, which has generated much discussion, urges younger people to maintain their ability to think and build genuine friendships, a much-needed reminder to a generation facing a future very different from that of previous generations.
He has attracted attention from Gen Z by joining viral TikTok and other social media trends, but I don’t believe that is the only reason the Church is seeing a resurgence among younger people.
After years of declining Mass attendance, young people are finding their way back to the Church, fueled by Pope Leo’s memes and the viral Conclave movie that swept across social media.
According to figures reported by the European Union, the Catholic Church has reported the highest numbers of 18- to 25-year-old adults seeking baptism in decades.
The Pope’s critical view of AI, in which he urges younger people to maintain their ability to think and build genuine friendships, was the topic of discussion on most social media platforms.
The Church is also appealing to younger generations by announcing that a student who died at 21, eight years ago, is now on the path to becoming their generation’s first Saint.
But I don’t think Pope Leo’s involvement in a meme is the only reason the Church is seeing a resurgence among younger people.
Setting political views aside, I think younger people are just craving a calm, reasonable voice that promotes hope in such a turbulent world.
While I can’t overlook the Church’s past, I do believe Pope Leo is exactly the right person for the right time, and may he continue to be the fresh air the world needs right now.
Maria Ward-Brennan is a professional services editor at CityAM