STORY: Meeting the pope can always be a thrilling experience, but for the students from Our Lady of Mount Carmel Academy in Chicago’s Lakeview neighbourhood it was especially so, after they had taken part in an educational mini mock conclave project in May, very shortly before the real conclave in Vatican City was taking place and they were surprised by the fact that the newly elected pope was Chicagoan just like them.

The students, dressed as cardinals and Swiss guards, staged their own conclave very similarly to the original, ending with white smoke and the new pope appearing at the window amid the waving of white and yellow Vatican flags.

On Wednesday (October 8), they were finally able to see with their own eyes the real pope-elect in St Peter's Square during the weekly audience.

''He laughed a couple of times cause, you know, it’s kind of funny that we’re matching", said Auggie Wilk, the now fifth-grader who was elected with two-thirds of the vote back in May.

"When they heard it was not just a pope, which was exciting enough, but a pope from Chicago, they were so overwhelmed and full of joy", recalled their teacher Allison Foerster.

Leo is the first pope from the U.S. and was elected pontiff on May 8, following a short conclave of cardinals, succeeding Pope Francis. Francis died on April 21 after leading the Church for 12 years.

The word "conclave" comes from the Latin "cum clave" (with a key), referring to the Medieval practice of locking cardinals up in a room until they make a decision on a new pope.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

Chicago children meet Pope Leo after viral mock conclave

VIDEO SHOWS: CHILDREN DRESSED UP AS CARDINALS AND POPE WAITING IN LINE AT VATICAN / CHILD DRESSED UP AS SWISS GUARD / FILE FOOTAGE OF CHILDREN HOLDING MOCK CONCLAVE IN CHICAGO / MINI POPE INTERACTING WITH POPE LEO

RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT

SHOWS: VATICAN CITY (OCTOBER 8, 2025) (VATICAN MEDIA - Access all)

1. POPE LEO SPEAKING TO THE POPE CHILD AUGGIE WILK AND SHAKING HANDS WITH THE MINI CARDINALS

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, UNITED STATES (FILE) (ARCHDIOCESE OF CHICAGO - Must Courtesy Archdiocese of Chicago)

2. VARIOUS OF MOCK CONCLAVE IN CHICAGO

VATICAN CITY (OCTOBER 8, 2025) (REUTERS - Access all)

3. CROWDS IN ST. PETER’S SQUARE

4. WHITE SMOKE COMING OUT OF SCHOOL CHIMNEY

5. MINI CARDINALS LOOKING OUT OF WINDOW

6. VARIOUS OF MINI POPE APPEARING AT WINDOW

7. CROWDS IN ST. PETER’S SQUARE

8. VARIOUS OF MINI CARDINALS, MINI POPE AND MINI SWISS GUARDS WAITING IN LINE

9. (SOUNDBITE) (English) STUDENT DRESSED UP AS CARDINAL FROM CHICAGO, MATTEO, SAYING:

"When I was in first grade, there was like this voting thing and you could vote to be a cardinal and I did, and I was voted. So I got to be a cardinal.“

(SOUNDBITE) (English) JOURNALIST ASKING:

"So were you also hoping to become the pope?“

(SOUNDBITE) (English) STUDENT DRESSED UP AS CARDINAL FROM CHICAGO, MATTEO, SAYING:

"Yeah, I was hoping to.“

10. VARIOUS OF MINI CARDINALS, MINI POPE AND MINI SWISS GUARDS WAITING IN LINE

11. KID HOLDING RED ZUCCHETTO HAT

12. VARIOUS OF MINI CARDINALS, MINI POPE AND MINI SWISS GUARDS WAITING IN LINE

13. (SOUNDBITE) (English) STUDENT DRESSED UP AS SWISS GUARD FROM CHICAGO, DAVID, SAYING:

"It is really special to be here because I really hoped to see the pope and I did. It was really special. Today it happened and it shocked my brain to know this."

14. VARIOUS OF MINI CARDINALS, MINI POPE AND MINI SWISS GUARDS WAITING IN LINE

15. CROWDS IN ST. PETER’S SQUARE

16. BOY DRESSED UP AS CARDINAL WAITING IN LINE

17. SWISS GUARD PASSING BY MINI CARDINAL

18. (SOUNDBITE) (English) STUDENT DRESSED UP AS POPE, AUGGIE WILK, SAYING:

"I think it was pretty calm and he laughed a couple of times cause, you know, it’s kind of funny that we’re matching. He wore my hat for a couple of seconds and then he gave it back to me, so I kind of have something special from him."

19. VARIOUS OF MINI CARDINALS IN ST. PETER'S SQUARE

20. VARIOUS OF MINI CARDINALS AND MINI POPE WALKING TOWARDS ST. PETER’S BASILICA

21. (SOUNDBITE) (English) TEACHER, ALLISON FOERSTER, SAYING:

"Our students lost their minds. It was so special that we had done this days before because they were then extra excited regardless. When that white smoke came, kids were running back inside from recess because they wanted to go watch it. They chose not to have recess. They wanted to go wait and see who would come out of the window. And when they heard it was not just a pope, which was exciting enough, but a pope from Chicago, they were so overwhelmed and full of joy. We teach in a very small Catholic school in the Archdiocese of Chicago so to know that you can be the pope - not just the pope, but somebody who is called the Holiness - and have a very similar upbringing to them has made it really tangible and like a really wonderful connection point for our students."

22. MINI CARDINALS AND MINI POPE WALKING TOWARDS ST. PETER’S BASILICA

23. VARIOUS OF MINI CARDINAL WAITING ON ST. PETER'S SQUARE

VATICAN CITY (OCTOBER 8, 2025) (VATICAN MEDIA - Access all)

24. POPE LEO POSING WITH GROUP OF STUDENTS IN FRONT OF ST. PETER'S BASILICA