Pope Leo XIV met on Thursday morning with Noel Díaz, founder of El Sembrador Nueva Evangelización, a Catholic media apostolate based in California that broadcasts television programming across Latin America and Spain and operates a wide radio network throughout the United States and Mexico.
The private audience took place in the Pope’s office at the Vatican. Díaz was accompanied by two priests and a lay collaborator from the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. The meeting marked the first encounter between the Holy Father and the Mexican born lay leader since Pope Leo’s election on May 8.
El Sembrador Nueva Evangelización, often known by its initials ESNE, was founded in California and has grown into a major Spanish language Catholic media presence. Through television, radio and digital platforms, the ministry seeks to bring catechesis, testimonies and the voice of the Pope to Spanish and English speaking audiences. Díaz had previously developed a close relationship with Pope Francis, who encouraged the association’s evangelizing work.
During the audience, Díaz presented the Pope with several symbolic gifts. Among them was a replica of a shoeshine box that represents his own childhood experience as a boy facing social hardship. Through polishing shoes, he earned money to support himself and even paid for the suit he wore at his First Communion. The object has become a symbol of perseverance, dignity and faith within the ESNE community.
The shoeshine box also recalls a gesture from 2016 when Díaz offered a similar gift to Pope Francis and shined his shoes during a papal flight to Mexico. That encounter marked the beginning of a friendship that, according to those involved in the apostolate, strengthened the ministry’s mission.
Another gift presented to Pope Leo XIV related to the I Am the 73 initiative, a spiritual journey that invites participants to undertake a 33 day path of consecration to the Lord. The project forms part of ESNE’s broader effort to encourage conversion and deeper discipleship among lay faithful.
In their conversation, Pope Leo XIV and Díaz discussed migration, particularly the situation of migrants in the United States and other regions of the world. They also reflected on the importance of promoting greater familiarity with the Word of God among Catholic families. Media, Díaz explained after the meeting, can serve as a bridge connecting communities to Scripture and to the teaching of the Church.
The encounter highlighted the role of lay led Catholic media in supporting evangelization across borders. By reaching audiences in multiple countries and languages, ESNE aims to strengthen communion with the Successor of Peter while addressing pastoral challenges facing migrant communities and the wider faithful.
