After celebrating Mass at the Shrine of Aparecida, Pope Francis at lunch with the Bishops and seminarians of the diocese at the Bon Jesús Seminary. In an interview with Vatican Radio, Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi recalled a touching moment during the Pope’s visit to the seminary.
A group of 30 cloistered nuns went to the seminary to greet the Holy Father. It was a visit, Fr. Lombardi said, that was not officially on the schedule. Although, plans were made there for a photo-op with the Holy Father, the director of the Holy See Press Office described it as “not a classic group photo.”
“He began to talk with them. They were absolutely enthusiastic, crying and so on. They gave him books to sign, and the Pope began to sign. Then they began to embrace him, and kiss him. He accepted this, and every one of the nuns had a photo embracing and kissing the Pope…it was incredible, it was so happy, so spontaneous.”
Fr. Lombardi also told Vatican Radio that the tenderness shown to the nuns is typical of the Holy Father.
“Someone said it was Latin American. Maybe it was Latin American, but it is human. Then at the end, the Pope said to the nuns, ‘I was Daniel in the lion’s [den]’ but he said this obviously with great sympathy and joy,” Fr. Lombardi said.
