Overview

• During a Jubilee Year youth gathering at the Vatican, fan ReptileCake presented two Popplio cards—one for blessing and one to be signed—to play on the name similarity with Pope Leo XIV
• Pope Leo XIV laughed at the Popplio gag, showed the card to his guards and then autographed the second card, becoming the first pontiff to sign a Pokémon card
• Coverage in PC Gamer, GameSpot and Gizmodo quickly highlighted how the encounter merged Vatican tradition with online fandom
• ReptileCake, who traveled from Denmark’s Diocese of Copenhagen, said he will never sell or grade the signed card and plans to preserve it as a personal artifact
• The moment exemplifies Pope Leo XIV’s media-savvy approach and his efforts to connect with younger believers through contemporary popular culture