{"id":27239,"date":"2025-11-21T20:27:50","date_gmt":"2025-11-22T04:27:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/?p=27239"},"modified":"2025-11-22T08:28:26","modified_gmt":"2025-11-22T16:28:26","slug":"what-do-you-ask-the-pope-downey-teen-to-get-his-chance-at-indianapolis-event","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/2025\/11\/21\/what-do-you-ask-the-pope-downey-teen-to-get-his-chance-at-indianapolis-event\/","title":{"rendered":"What Do You Ask the Pope? Downey Teen To Get His Chance at Indianapolis Event"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Mike Cisneros<\/a> | Angelus News<\/a><\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Los Angeles, California)<\/strong> – Pope Leo XIV was born in Chicago, spent years as a missionary and a bishop in Peru<\/a>, and now lives in Rome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He\u2019s the leader of the global Church, and on Nov. 21, he\u2019ll be taking questions from young people in a packed football stadium in Indianapolis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of those questions will come from a high school senior from Downey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ezequiel Ponce, 17, a senior at Downey High School who belongs to St. Dominic Savio Church in Bellflower, will be one of a select few teens who earned the opportunity to ask questions to Pope Leo in a historic digital Q&A<\/a> on Nov. 21 during the second day of the National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC) in Indianapolis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leo will address some 15,000 young people ages 14-18 at the conference, this year being held at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. 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. during a live online Q&A and broadcast via EWTN.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was absolutely ecstatic,\u201d Ponce said after hearing that he was chosen. \u201cI remember being in school and just doing my regular thing in class, and I get the email, and my jaw drops. It\u2019s the only thing I could think about. I remember telling my parents and they were super excited for me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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 had just the person in mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEven at a young age, he\u2019s a leader,\u201d Montenegro said of Ponce. \u201cHe\u2019s someone who is insightful, someone who is committed, someone who is battling his own emotions and fears, but yet he\u2019s always there to help others, and I think that is something that is commendable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For months, Ponce has participated in virtual meetings with about 40 other teens nationwide, discussing issues facing young people and what potential questions they might ask the pope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve only ever had meetings or talked to people in California, and there\u2019s people from Hawaii, from New York, I mean, all over the United States,\u201d Ponce said. \u201cSo it really struck me, and it was a really good experience to get to talk to them and hear their experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ezequiel Ponce with Sr. Jackie Sardina, FMA, and Sr. Cherilly Galley, FMA, during the Salesian Youth Leadership Conference..<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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NCYC leaders had the tough task of narrowing down a slate of 40 teens to select five speakers and three alternates who would ask questions to 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As he prepares for his big moment, Ponce is encouraged by the fact that the Holy Father is making the effort to speak to young people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI honestly have been amazed on how much the pope genuinely wants to engage in dialogue,\u201d Ponce said. \u201cBecause I feel that young people assume that the other generations look down upon us, especially the Gen Z and stuff, because it\u2019s the age of technology and all that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt could just be simple things like, how do you pray, or how do you deal with your mental health, with school, and with social media? So I feel like if he talks about these things, he could further relate to us, in a sense, and not just disregard it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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