Throughout his papacy, Pope Francis has been known for his effort to reach out to people “beyond the margins.” Other popes have done this as well, such as Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul II, but it has been a hallmark of Pope Francis’ time that he always hears the cry of the poor. This has, at times, led to judgments about his actions and many stories on social media about how whatever action he has done has pushed the envelope too far.
When I had the opportunity to attend a papal audience in St. Peter’s Square in November 2017, I wanted to see him in action. My experience was truly of biblical proportions.
It is the custom after an audience is over for the Holy Father to greet individuals in particular sections around the steps into St. Peter’s Basilica, such as brides and grooms, persons in wheelchairs and other special groups. I happened to have a seat in a section that was right in front of the basilica. There was no plan for the pope to see the folks where I was sitting because they were fairly close to him through the audience. Most of the people in that section left, but I remained just to watch Pope Francis in action.
From a fair distance, I could see that the Holy Father was greeting mostly elderly people in one section on the other side of the platform. A gentleman standing in front of me started shouting: “Santo Padre, vengo da Boston. Dammi la mano!” That is, “Holy Father, I have come from Boston. Give me your hand!” He just kept shouting. Again and again, he said, “Santo Padre, vengo da Boston. Dammi la mano!”
All of a sudden, there was movement among the guards and the Vatican officials who were standing in the space beyond the barrier where we were now standing. I understood what was going to happen. With that, I put down my camera and just watched what was happening. Pope Francis had a big smile on his face. He turned around, moved directly in front of our section and gave his hand to the man who had been shouting. I just stood there and smiled myself. I knew that the Holy Father had come there only for the man who was shouting and I just wanted to enjoy the moment. I also intuited something else that was happening.
After the Holy Father had greeted the man from Boston, he turned back to the group where he had been speaking to each person and he continued on his way. Someone on the other side of the barrier handed the man who had touched the pope’s hand a card. It was from the Vatican photographer, L’Osservatore Romano. The gentleman did not know what it was for. I explained that he could go to the L’Osserveratore Romano office the next day to see a photograph of what had just happened. I gave him my card and asked him to let me know if he had found anything. Months later, the man’s son sent me a text with pictures of the audience.
When I saw the pictures, I was at once delighted and horrified. I saw that I could clearly be seen with the Holy Father, both of us wearing smiles. I also noticed the crowd around us had not realized that Pope Francis was there only for the man with the audacity to keep shouting. Many hands were extended – but none of them is mine. I was pleased just to share a smile.
The whole experience suggested to me that Pope Francis’ primary witness to us is God’s love for each person and that that God hears our cry. We need to persevere in our efforts to reach out to others in God’s name.
Father Timothy M. Hayes is the pastor of Granville St. Edward the Confessor Church and a scripture columnist for The Catholic Times.