Pope Leo XIV has created history as the first-ever American-born leader of the Catholic Church. For the first time since his inauguration, the pontiff has opened up about her childhood, the early days he spent in Chicago. As reported by the Independent, his early days began as an altar boy. Leo XIV revealed that from the age of six, he would wake up very early to join the 6:30 am. Mass before heading to school.
The Pope recently had an unscripted meeting with the kids of Vatican employees, attending the Holy See’s summer camp. The group was joined by the Ukrainian children, who were participating in summer programmes run by Italy’s Caritas charity.
At least an estimated 600 children were present at the unannounced event, which took place in the Vatican’s main audience hall. The place had been transformed with large inflatable bouncy castles for the huge numbers of children. Pope opened up about his early life when one of the children, Giulia, asked him if he used to go to Mass as a child.
Leo XIV grew up as the youngest of three brothers in the south Chicago suburb of Dolton. Leo, former Robert Prevost, had a very religious childhood as his family always went to Mass on Sundays. However, he took an extra step to get closer to God.
The childhood home of Pope Leo XIV in Dolton, Illinois pic.twitter.com/55lQ91Yv4P
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During the recent event, the leader of the Catholic Church revealed, “But starting from when I was around six 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 am.”
He added, “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.”
The 1955-born Pope then recalled that the Mass was celebrated in Latin mostly at that time. He revealed that he had to get a strong grasp on the language to serve Mass before he made his First Communion.
“Did you go to Mass as a child?”
A little girl asked Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican Summer Camp — and his eyes lit up as he recalled finding his best friend, Jesus, at 6:30 a.m. Mass. pic.twitter.com/PJhxxSQgeK
— EWTN Vatican (@EWTNVatican) July 3, 2025
“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,” the Pope said.
During one of his first unscripted speeches in public this day, the pontiff started off in Italian, but later switched to English to address the Ukrainian children who were also present at the very event.
