Pope Leo XIV Does Viral ‘6-7’ Rage-baiting Trend And Internet Can't Keep Calm (WATCH)

The internet has erupted in amusement after Pope Leo XIV unexpectedly found himself participating in the bizarre viral “6-7” trend during a cheerful interaction with children at the Vatican. The lighthearted moment instantly exploded across social media, with users joking that not even the Vatican is immune to TikTok’s chaotic meme culture.

Videos from the interaction showed excited children introducing the Pope to the wildly popular trend as he smiled, laughed and appeared to mimic the now-recognisable gesture associated with it. 

The trend that has dominated TikTok and Instagram reels over the past year, is linked to rapper Skrilla’s track Doot Doot (6 7). The meme largely revolves around people randomly yelling “six-seven” or awkwardly dropping the phrase into completely nonsensical situations online.

The trend has become a textbook example of “ragebaiting” — content deliberately crafted to confuse, annoy or provoke reactions simply because of how absurd and meaningless it appears. Ironically, that very randomness is what transformed the meme into a viral obsession among younger users across social media platforms.

The children visiting the Vatican appeared thrilled after the Pope recognised and joined in on the trend instead of reacting with confusion. The viral clip has further strengthened Pope Leo’s growing image online as an unexpectedly modern and internet-savvy religious figure.

This is not the first time the Pope has sparked online chatter. Recently, he also went viral after viewers spotted him wearing Nike sneakers in a documentary, a moment that triggered another flood of amused reactions online.

Pope Leo XIV became the head of the Catholic Church earlier this year and has continued drawing attention for his approachable public appearances and informal interactions.