‘It’s a really awesome tradition,’ Seattle couple recounts of meeting Pope Leo.
If it’s a Wednesday in Rome, recently married couples — husbands in suits, wives in white dresses — gather at the Vatican for a special papal blessing called the Sposi Novelli (“newlyweds”).
Couples who have been married in the Church for three months or less, as verified by a valid Catholic sacramental marriage certificate (or a digital copy), are eligible to receive tickets to sit in a special section designated for the new married couples during the weekly general audience. The bride and groom are asked to wear their wedding attire for the occasion, during which they will have the chance to greet the Pope.
What’s the special day like?
Carmen and Conley Stumpfl from Seattle had the opportunity to meet Pope Leo XIV during the Wednesday general audience on Dec. 17, 2025, and receive the Sposi Novelli blessing.
“I was really excited about this Pope in particular because he’s from Chicago and I was born in Chicago,” Carmen told the Register, adding that Conley was on board with the idea. “He was immediately like, ‘Oh, we have to do that,’” she recalled.
“This really is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to also meet Pope Leo and just another day to celebrate our marriage, along with other couples who are all there to meet the Pope and celebrate too,” Conley said. “It was just a really fun day.”
Carmen added, “It was a cool adventure for both of us. Meeting the Pope was definitely the reason we went to Italy. It’s really beautiful.”
It was music that brought the young couple together: Carmen, 25, taught Conley, 28, who converted to Catholicism last year, to play the guitar. They were engaged around Easter 2025 and were married last October at St. Thomas More in Pensacola, Florida, Carmen’s hometown.
Mr. and Mrs. Stumpfl were joined by friends when they went to the Vatican for their newlywed blessing. “It was really cool to meet the Pope together,” said Carmen. She offered tips for other newlyweds planning on receiving the Sposi Novelli blessing, beyond the obligatory sign-up. “If you want to be first in line, make sure you get there early. And you have to pick up your general audience tickets in person. So you definitely want to get to Rome the day before, or even two days before, to make sure you can get those tickets.”
At each Wednesday general audience, the Pope confers a papal blessing on all of the religious items that people have brought with them. “We have our family crucifix that has been blessed by the Pope,” Carmen said, adding that Conley “inherited his grandfather’s rosary and he got that blessed by the Pope.”
Carmen also noted how memorable it was to wear her wedding dress for the occasion.
“It was really fun to be able to wear it again and dress up, and then walking around Rome in our wedding outfits was so fun,” Carmen said. “Everybody’s congratulating you as you walk by. And it’s an incredible feeling to be walking around a beautiful city in a beautiful dress.”
No Ordinary Wednesday
Conley explained the day-of process from the beginning. “We probably got there three hours before the gates opened, I believe,” he recounted. “And we were the 10th couple, I think, in line. And there were roughly 70 [couples], I would say. Once they let you in, you’re literally seated right on the steps of St. Peter’s, very close to where Pope Leo comes out. And you start to see the crowd slowly fill in as the time gets closer. And it was pretty full [and then you] see the popemobile come out.”
Carmen described the events of the general audience, including a Gospel reading and a homily, the latter of which is delivered by the Pope. The Scripture readings, summaries of the Pope’s address and greetings are translated into eight languages. “It was cool because the Pope did ours because he speaks English,” Carmen said.
“It really speaks to that universal part of the Catholic Church, just how many people are there to see the Pope, and to just be in Rome as pilgrims and everybody speaking different languages, but all sharing the same faith.”
Meeting Pope Leo
Then came the Stumpfls’ moment with the Pope.
“We had told him that we’re both from the Midwest and Carmen’s from Chicago, because he’s also from there, and just had a short couple of words,” Conley recalled before describing the personal warmth of the Pope. “It was really amazing to just stand there and shake his hand and look him in the eyes and see his beautiful smile.”
“He was laughing, and people were bringing funny gifts,” Conley continued. “Somebody made him a hot sauce. People wanted to change hats with him. It was really fun. You could hear everybody’s conversation too, as he was walking by, and you’re just watching and seeing these people smile but also get really emotional. There were a lot of people in such awe.”
Finally, Pope Leo gave his blessing to all of the couples present.
“It was just really cool to be standing there with all of those other couples that had just been married who were all so excited to be there,” Carmen said, noting that couples were there from Australia, Europe, the Philippines and South America, plus the United States, including North Dakota, where Conley had gone to school.
“It was so worth it to share that priceless experience,” Carmen said. “You walk into St. Peter’s, and it’s so grand, and you see the majesty of all the things of Rome and this beautiful architecture — everything that points to greatness and incredibleness. But then you meet the Pope, and he’s reserved and soft-spoken. He’s got a huge job, and it requires a really special person for that job, to do it well. And it was just interesting to meet him and just see how soft-spoken and gentle [he is]. He was just this very gentle grandpa.”
“It’s a really awesome tradition,” Conley said. “And I just know we’ll have that photo hanging in our house forever and always get to look back on that day and just think about how fun it was.”
Carmen is moved that the Pope spends time with newlywed couples every week.
“It just really shows how much the Church values and puts emphasis on the value and dignity that’s tied to marriage and just how important it is for not just the growth of the Church, but the growth of society and culture,” she said.
Carmen noted the beauty of how the Church supports marriage, not just as an institution, “but the actual couples getting married and honors them by giving them the chance to meet the Pope in this way.”
“It was just really, really beautiful,” she said, “especially nowadays, where less people are getting married or there’s just not as much emphasis put on marriage as an important thing. It’s just one way that the Church is saying to new couples, ‘This is a big deal. And this is really important, and we really support you moving forward in this way.’”
She encourages other newly married couples to make plans to get the blessing. “It really was an amazing experience. Definitely recommend going.”
Conley stressed:“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It’s another day to celebrate. And I just think marriage is a beautiful thing to be celebrated. You get to meet a lot of really cool, unique people coming from different backgrounds or cultures that you have also a lot in common with.”
He added, “And as far as a honeymoon destination, I think Rome and Italy made for an awesome trip. To carve out the space for one day to explore the Vatican, meet the Pope, walk around Rome is a memory that will last a lifetime.”
Gemma Flores contributed to this story. This article was originally published by National Catholic Register.
