A high school senior from Downey will be among the young people who ask Pope Leo XIV questions during a first-ever digital encounter at this year’s National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC) in Indianapolis. Ezequiel Ponce, 17, a senior at Downey High School who belongs to St. Dominic Savio Church in Bellflower, is one of a select few teens who earned the opportunity to ask questions to Pope Leo in a historical digital Q&A on Friday, Nov. 21, during the second day of the NCYC. Pope Leo will address more than 15, 000 young people between the ages of 14 and 18 at the conference, which this year is being held at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, according to an Archdiocese of Los Angeles press release. In previous years, Pope Francis had sent video messages to NCYC attendees, but this event will be the first time a pope will directly engage with youth in the U. S. The NCYC gathers thousands of Catholic youth, ministry leaders, clergy, and volunteers from across the country for three days of prayer, formation, community and celebration. Organizers say that Pope Leo’s virtual participation will add a “deeply personal and spiritual dimension to an already powerful experience of faith in action.” “I was absolutely ecstatic,” Ponce said in a statement after hearing that he was chosen. “I remember being in school and just doing my regular thing in class, and I get the email, and my jaw drops. It’s the only thing I could think about. I remember telling my parents and they were super excited for me.” When NCYC organizers asked JC Montenegro, youth ministry coordinator at St. Dominic Savio, if they knew of a teen who could help figure out what questions to ask the pope, he gave the opportunity to Ponce. “Even at a young age, he’s a leader,” Montenegro said in a statement. “He’s someone who is insightful, someone who is committed, someone who is battling his own emotions and fears, but yet he’s always there to help others, and I think that is something that is commendable.” Ponce is active in youth ministry at his parish, including being the head counselor at the church’s summer camp, “Camp Savio.” The experiences have made him consider becoming a math teacher, according to a press release. He currently takes a class at his high school that allows him to teach one period at Doty Middle School in Downey. For months, Ponce has participated in virtual meetings with about 40 other teens nationwide, discussing issues facing young people and potential questions they might ask the pope. NCYC leaders then narrowed down the slate of teens and selected five speakers and three alternates who would ask questions to Pope Leo. In looking for a diverse selection of regions and cultural groups, Ponce was chosen along with Mia Smothers, a high school freshman from Maryland; Elise Wing, a high school senior from Iowa; Christopher Pantelakis, a high school junior from Nevada; and Micah Alciso, a high school senior from Hawaii, according to a press release. As he prepares for his big moment, Ponce said he is encouraged by the fact that Pope Leo is making the effort to speak to young people. “I honestly have been amazed on how much the pope genuinely wants to engage in dialogue,” Ponce said. “Because I feel that young people assume that the other generations look down upon us, especially the Gen Z and stuff, because it’s the age of technology and all that.”.
https://www.pasadenastarnews.com/2025/11/20/downey-high-school-student-to-ask-pope-leo-xiv-questions-during-historic-digital-encounter/
Downey High School student to ask Pope Leo XIV questions during historic digital encounter
