Pope Leo XIV Goes Viral With “6-7” Gesture Before Thousands in Madrid
Updated
Updated · Bored Panda · Jun 10
Pope Leo XIV Goes Viral With “6-7” Gesture Before Thousands in Madrid
3 articles · Updated · Bored Panda · Jun 10
Summary
June 6 in Madrid, Pope Leo XIV flashed the internet-famous “6-7” hand gesture from the popemobile while greeting thousands, turning a routine public appearance into a viral social-media moment.
Weeks earlier, the pope had learned the gesture from about 1,000 Catholic children near St. Peter’s Square on May 9, and he repeated it during his first visit to an EU country outside Italy.
Online reaction split mostly along generational lines: many younger users praised his light, approachable style, while others were surprised to see the head of the Catholic Church embrace Gen Alpha meme culture.
The Spain trip has reinforced Leo’s effort to connect with younger audiences through jokes and informal exchanges as he speaks about faith, technology, mental health and youth challenges.