A group of young Catholics recently introduced Pope Leo XIV to the viral ‘6-7’ motion, aligning with an internet trend that has puzzled those over 16 for more than a year. Don Roberto Fiscer, a 49-year-old priest and Catholic influencer from Genoa, Italy, was conducting a session for children preparing for the sacrament of confirmation at St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. During the visit, Fiscer asked, “What is it that you kids do?”
The children enthusiastically shouted ‘6-7!’ while demonstrating the hand gesture associated with the meme. The pope, finding it amusing, mirrored their action with two upturned palms rising and falling, repeating ‘6-7.’ Fiscer explained that the intent was to help Leo connect with the youth. He shared with CNN, “Since the pope is one of us, and we greet each other like this, he should learn this greeting too,” highlighting that kids globally use this gesture.
Understanding the ‘6-7’ Meme
Many adults have been baffled by the meaning of ‘6-7.’ The answer is quite simple: it means nothing significant. It is a part of a meme. Originating from a drill rap song titled “Doot Doot” by Skrilla, the lyric “six-seven” is repeated in the track.
The song’s audio was later featured in a TikTok video discussing Charlotte Hornets player LaMelo Ball’s height. The commentator noted that Ball moved “like someone who’s 6’1″, 6’2″, except he’s 6’7″,” after which the song played. The expression spread rapidly among young basketball fans, who added a hand gesture. Gen Alpha, children born in 2010 or later, embraced the meme, leaving many parents and educators perplexed.
The Decline of ‘6-7’
Once the adult community began engaging with the ‘6-7’ meme, questioning its meaning or adopting it themselves, the trend started to lose its charm with the younger audience. Actor Amy Poehler remarked on her podcast, Good Hang, “The ‘6-7’ meme is over now. No one’s saying it anymore.”
Now that the 70-year-old Pope Leo XIV, head of the Catholic Church, has been seen participating in the ‘6-7’ gesture, the meme’s allure for Gen Alpha might have diminished, potentially signaling its decline after a year of widespread use.