‘They’ll never forget this, and neither will I’: Pope Francis on meeting children in Gozo

Tista’ taqra bil-
Malti.

Pope Francis was impressed by the people’s enthusiasm during his visit to Malta and Gozo earlier this month, the Bishop of Gozo Anton Teuma said during an interview with Newsbook.com.mt editor Kevin Papagiorcopulo.

The Bishop recounted an encounter the Pope had with a number of children who jumped over the barricades to reach him during a brief stopover outside the Arcadia shopping complex in Rabat, Gozo. 

“As we stopped outside Arcadia a number of children jumped over the barriers to come next to the Pope, who despite his difficulties to move freely greeted them calmly and with all his love,” Bishop Teuma said. 

After spending some time with the children and handing them rosary beads, the Pope confided in Teuma that “the children will never forget this moment, and neither will I.” 

“He told me that the people need their Bishop to be among them, they need to touch the Bishop,” Mgr Teuma added, as he explained that while serving as Archbishop of Buenos Aires in Argentina, Francis had asked for more Auxiliary Bishops so he could spend more time with the people. 

Auxiliary Bishop for Gozo

Asked whether he would be taking a leaf out of the Pope’s book and ask for an Auxiliary Bishop for Gozo to allow him to spend more time with the people, Bishop Teuma jokingly said “if offered I would wholeheartedly accept.”

He went on to explain that he had put in a request for an Auxiliary Bishop long before the Pope’s visit but the Nunciature had responded negatively.

Recently, the 85-year-old Pontiff was forced to cancel a trip to Florence because of acute knee pain, which will also stoped him presiding over Ash Wednesday celebrations. During his two-day visit in Malta the Pope was limping heavily and his mobility was somewhat restricted, but this did not stop him from honouring all his engagements in a packed schedule. .  

“I must say this, because it struck me,” Bishop Teuma said. “The Pope was visibly finding it difficult to walk freely… but interestingly although he was struggling to walk it seems as though it wasn’t part of him. When he met people it seemed as though the pain was not there, which goes to show that the Pope is willing to give, beyond himself. He is genuine interested in others.”

What did Pope Francis say in Malta?

Bishop Teuma said he was impressed not only by the Pope’s words and speeches but also by his demeanour, and his gestures, which the Bishop said “had a deep impact.”

The Bishop said he wrote notes of his “profound” conversations with Pope Francis during the Pontiff’s recent visit to Malta and Gozo, adding that apart from discussing the pastoral work of the Diocese of Gozo the Pope was struck by the presence of young couple among the crowds that welcomed him.

“The conversation become more profound when we came across young couples with children lined in the streets, and the Pope noted their presence,” Bishop Teuma said, adding that this triggered a conversation about the need for the Church to engage more with young people.

Moreover, the Bishop said that he discussed the vocation of marriage and priesthood, as he described his conversations with the Pontiff as a “beautiful moment” which reflected the Pope’s fatherly love. 

In his conversations with the Bishop, Pope Francis also underlined the importance of popular religiosity while stressing that it was one of the different roads that leads people to Jesus, evangelisation, and the celebration of the Eucharist. 

Describing Pope Francis as open-minded, Bishop Teuma said he also had conversations on theology and did not rule out publishing the exchanges in some form.

Beacon Media Group will be publishing a book on the Pope’s visit to Malta and Gozo entitled ‘They showed us unusual kindness.’ You can place your order for the commemorative publication here. 

You can watch whole interview below