Pilgrims at the Pope's Wednesday audiences have breathed new life into the atmosphere at the Vatican, which has been quiet for months due to the pandemic.
You can see, you can feel...
POPE FRANCIS
'I cordially greet the Spanish-speaking faithful. There are quite a few here. There are Colombians there.
Mexicans too. And Paraguayans.
There is still a long way to go before large crowds return to hear the Pope's Wednesday catechesis....
...But the young people who participated in this week's Audience were sure to make themselves heard.
'Francis, brother, you are Mexican too.'
“It was an unreal experience, super cool.... Very fun.”
“Yes, not everyone has the opportunity to see the Pope so close.”
The Mexican students of a Regnum Christi school in Montreux took advantage of the public Audience to see the Pope up close. They were not disappointed.
“We were all very excited that he noticed us.”
'I liked seeing Pope Francis and being at his audience inspired me.'
'He talked about not losing faith and continuing to pray despite temptations.'
POPE FRANCIS
'In the face of all these difficulties we must not lose faith, but continue to pray with humility and trust.'
It was only the second Audience open to the public in 2021. When a second wave of coronavirus infections hit Italy late last year, the Vatican was forced to move the Pope's audiences online.
Both the Pope and the pilgrims looked overjoyed to see each other face to face once again.
Javier Romero
TR: JM
