Pope Leo XIV turned 70 on Sunday, and celebrations were held around the world to mark the occasion.
According to CBS News, Pope Leo is the youngest pope in four generations. He was elected last May at the age of 69, becoming the youngest since Karol Wojtyła — who became Pope John Paul II at age 58 in 1978, The Associated Press reports.
Vatican celebrations
The milestone birthday marked Pope Leo’s first as pontiff and the Vatican celebrated in grand style. St. Peter’s Square was filled with well-wishers holding balloons and festive signs. Large banners reading “Happy Birthday” in English, Italian and Spanish waved in the crowd during his traditional noon blessing on Sunday.
Groups of Peruvian followers were especially prominent — some donning traditional attire in tribute to the two decades Pope Leo spent in Peru as a missionary and bishop, NBC News reported.
“My dears, it seems you know today I have turned 70,” the pope said, addressing the gathered crowd. “I thank the Lord, my parents and all those who remembered me in their prayers.”
Later that afternoon, Pope Leo presided over an ecumenical prayer service in honor of 21st-century martyrs.
Adding a personal touch to the day, Brian Burch, Donald Trump’s ambassador to the Vatican and a fellow Chicagoan, brought a chocolate cake from Portillo’s, a popular Chicago-area restaurant. According to Reuters, Burch met with the pope a day before his birthday and presented the surprise.
In a video shared by NBC News, the pope reacted with gratitude. “Wow, thank you for that, and you brought it?” he asked, to which Birch replied, “We didn’t realize it was going to be your birthday the next day, so it seemed too perfect.”
Celebrations in Dalton, Illinois
Back in the United States, the Chicago suburb of Dalton, Illinois, where Pope Leo grew up, also marked the occasion with a community celebration. Outside his childhood home, gospel music filled the air, silver balloons were released into the sky and old photographs of a young Leo were displayed for visitors, AP reported.
“It’s a good time for the community to come together,” said Village President Jason House. “It shows that great people come out of the village of Dalton.”
The brick house where Leo’s family lived until the mid-1990s was purchased by the village this July in an effort to preserve a piece of papal history and promote local tourism. Pope Leo, born in Chicago in 1955, spent much of his early life there.
The pope received birthday wishes from around the globe, including a celebratory message from his alma mater posted to X (formerly Twitter).