Pope Francis fondly remembered as 'joyful' by students

Pope Francis has been remembered fondly by two young people who met him in Rome last summer during a university trip to Italy.

Míċeál-Piaras Ó Ceallaiġ from Derry and Ciara O’Gara from Carrickmore in County Tyrone, and their fellow members of the Canticle Sacred Music Society - the choir of the Catholic Chaplaincy at Queen’s University, Belfast - had a general audience with the late Pontiff.

Recalling the event, Ciara explained the choir had travelled to Italy to meet with a group called Gen Verde, an international performing arts group and a branch of the The Focolare Movement.

“The group, which is based in Tuscany in the south of Italy, taught us about music, how it can be used for reconciliation and how Gen Verd uses it in terms of evangelisation and faith,” she said.

“That was the main focus of our trip but on our first day in Italy we went to Rome and we took part in the General Audience which is held every Wednesday. Fr Dominic McGrattan, who is the Catholic Chaplain at Queen’s was along with us and he arranged for the choir to meet Pope Francis, in St Peter’s Square,” recalled Ciara.

“He was in a wheelchair at that time and he stopped with us. He spoke to some members of the Canticle. There was no translator with him but one of our members was able to converse with him in Spanish. 

“It was great to be that close to him. I remember him laughing lots. He was very joyful. Unfortunately we didn’t have enough time to sing for him but I got the sense he was very happy to see us, he was very happy to see young people and to meet with them,” said Ciara.

Míċeál-Piaras said he had given Pope Francis a personal letter in which he described his faith and the faith in Ireland.

“I told him about the Institute of Christ Our King Sovereign Priest in Belfast, which Ciara and I attend and how much that has influenced our faith; I also told him about our relationship with Christ and how that has developed and we are very happy the Institute exists in the North. Belfast,” he added. 

“I have been told by friends Pope Francis had an incredible memory so if he had seen you before he would remember you. There were a couple of people in the choir who  had been in Rome in the past and had a private audience, so he knew we were from Queen’s Chaplinancy and we have come to Rome regularly. I felt he was appreciative of us being there,” said Míċeál-Piaras.

Ciara said she had been “shocked” when she heard Pope Francis had died.

“I knew he wasn’t but I thought he was getting a bit better. I don’t think anyone expected him to just die suddenly on Easter Monday. 

“But, there couldn’t have been a better day for it. I think we were blessed he was able to see through the Easter ceremonies. It was sad, sad news, sad and sudden.

“I am glad we met him last year definitely. Easter was a great mark of Pope Francis’ humility. Even though his doctors were telling him he couldn’t be doing any kind of public audiences, that he couldn’t be seen, that he should stay in and rest, he wanted to be out among the people,” Ciara added.

Míċeál-Piaras agreed. “I think Pope Francis knew himself and he wanted to spend that last day with the people, blessing us. He was holding babies, he just worked up to the end, and I think that was a mark of his humility -  he held off on Easter Sunday and passed away on Easter  Monday having fulfilled his duty,” he said.

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“I just think Pope Francis is the Pope of Ciara’s and my generation. He has been Pope since 2013 so he has really been the Pope our generation has grown up with. He has been the head of the Catholic Church when our faith has been nurtured. 

“He has always held in his heart the youth of the world. He knows we are going to inherit the Church and that is why he has raised people like Blessed Carlo Acutis and Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati to those levels. Unfortunately those canonisations are postponed now due to his death but that was his model of the Church. 

“He understood the future He understood we will inherit the Church and in this age of the internet, he is raising saints like Carlo Acutis who was there at the forefront of the internet, marking those Eucharistic miracles and making waves of evangelisation on the internet.

“That is why we now see so many conversions to the faith and we have seen so many apologetics being fruitful on the internet. I think it is those saints interceding for us and I think and I think that is a mark of Pope Francis' papacy.”