Pope Leo embraced the viral “6-7” gesture after a group of young Catholics introduced him to the trending meme during his visit to Rome.
The interaction took place as nearly 1,000 young Catholics from the Archdiocese of Genoa made their way to Rome while preparing for the sacrament of confirmation.
Influencer Don Roberto Fiscer later shared the video online, where it quickly exploded in popularity, racking up more than 18 million views since Saturday (May 16).
“Since the Pope is one of us, and we greet each other like this, he must learn this greeting too, especially because kids all over the world greet each other like this,” Fiscer told CNN. “So the kids made us feel close to them, and we made him feel that we consider him one of us.”
The “6-7” trend first gained attention through Philadelphia rapper Skrilla and his track “Doot Doot,” which later became a popular sound in viral online videos.
Skrilla previously explained that “6-7” carries different meanings depending on who’s using it.
“For me, it’s just ‘negative to positive,” he explained. “It helped me turn from a negative person to a positive person.”
Dictionary.com, which crowned “6-7” its Word of the Year in October 2025, also noted that the phrase can mean “so-so” or “maybe this, maybe that.” Meanwhile, many younger people now use it as a go-to response that often leaves older generations puzzled.
