CHICAGO (WLS) — Students were dressed head to toe in Cardinal costumes, ready to show Cardinal Blase Cupich just how much they’ve learned since a new pope was elected.

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“It was a crazy experience…that people saw us, who were in Rome, and there were like, thousands of people there,” student Ines Martins said.

Eyes around the world watched the viral video of students at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Academy host their own mini conclave.

It caught the attention of Cardinal Cupich, and on Monday he had his own personal viewing.

“It was a really big honor to meet him. Like, I never thought that this would happen, but today, it did,” student Eli Allen said.

At the mock conclave, they even had the youngest of the bunch ready as Swiss guards as two thirds of the conclave elected.

Cardinal Cupich said it was almost the same as the real thing.

“Unfortunately, we did not have a snack break, and we didn’t get any fish crackers,” Cupich said.

The cardinal looked at the event proudly.

“Pay attention to what’s in your heart, because God is working in you,” Cupich said.

The young students gave a personal invitation to Pope Leo XIV to visit.

“I’d probably go up to him and say that I was part of the conclave,” Ines Martins said. “I wish he could come to our school.”

At the end students gifted the cardinal a yearbook signed by all the students in the school.

Cupich gave them a personal invitation to a mass to celebrate Pope Leo at Rate Field.

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