In 2020, in the middle of the pandemic, four siblings, all of them nurses, were able to personally deliver to the Pope letters written by Covid-19 patients they were treating.
A year later, they were back in Rome, this time with more than just letters.
RAFFAELE MAUTONE
Nurse
“This year we were able to bring some of the faces behind those letters. The faces of people who made it.”
SR. ANNA
Former patient
“Last year I wrote a letter, in which I expressed my desire to meet the Pope. And I'm here today, a year later, and it's the fruit of many prayers. That's why I'm here, and it was very very exciting to be here and see the Pope.”
JEAN-JACQUES ROBYR
Former patient
“I accepted the invitation to come here so I could have a sense of closure in this experience with Covid; to feel alive and present on this earth. I've seen different popes from a distance, but for me Pope Francis is the best. He's really very close to the people, and this experience was such a pleasure for me.”
Jean-Jacques is 70 years old. He spent five months in the hospital during the first wave of Covid infections, which affected the elderly and young people alike.
VALERIO MAUTONE
Nurse
“Andrea managed to give the Pope a gift that he really wanted to give him, a book about his congregation, the Congregation of Good Death. And the Pope told him, 'But you didn't have a good death. I wish you a good life.'”
ANDREA MERLO
Former patient
“Shaking the Pope's hand, the words and the gaze we exchanged. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It was unforgettable.”
LUCA VANZIN
Former patient
“It was something that filled us with even more life. Last year we were reborn. We had a new vision of life, and today that vision has become even richer, thanks to the Pope.”
Some of these nurses and Covid survivors embarked on a five-day walking pilgrimage that concluded with the Pope's General Audience in Rome.
They stayed at different convents and monasteries along the way, and donated Covid tests from Cardiocentro and EOC, medical institutes in Switzerland, to their hosts.
The lively group wants their journey to be a source of hope for people still afflicted by Covid-19, and they hope to repeat the pilgrimage with even more people next year.
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