The pope landed in Lisbon on time. At the foot of the stairs the Portuguese president, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, was waiting for him. But he waited in vain because the pope did not use the stairs, as he usually does since he has knee problems. He used the freight elevator on the other side of the plane.
Then the pontiff and the president greeted each other with great affection. Francis used the wheelchair at all times. This was his first trip after the abdominal hernia operation he suffered in June.
During the flight he joked with the press, saying that he hopes to get younger with this trip. Some journalists presented him with gifts. Eva Fernandez, from COPE, gave him a very special one: the letter from Pablo de la Cruz, the young man with Ewing's sarcoma who took his vows as a barefoot Carmelite shortly before his death on July 15.
Francis has a long and long-awaited trip ahead of him and the young people. The pandemic forced the delay of this edition of WYD, so many young people have had to wait years to see the pope.
PA
TR: AT
