BALTIMORE, Md. — With hundreds of her Mercy sisters filled with anticipation, 14-year-old Mia Smothers took the mic at the National Catholic Youth Conference in Indianapolis.

“Good morning, Heavenly Father.My name is Mia Smothers from the Archdiocese of Baltimore, Maryland,” said the teen as she addressed the pontiff.

With 16,000 young Catholics surrounding her and as many as a million others watching the live video link with Vatican City, Mia shed any uneasiness she may have felt to ask Pope Leo XIV a question, which has been on the minds of the faithful for centuries.

“In my experience, it’s been difficult to voice my mistakes,” said Mia, “Is it hard for you to accept God’s mercy when you’ve made mistakes or feel that you’ve let people down?”

The first American pope responded to the

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