(There is no sound for the first few seconds).
What an amazing sight! Two popes meet.
5 things struck me:
1. Benedict seemed so frail. Seeing him scoot around with his cane, it makes much more sense to me why he chose retirement for the good of the Church.
2. Once again, Benedict's humility was on full display. It looked like he tried to get Francis to take the single spot at the front reserved for the Holy Father. Benedict was attempting to show his deference and obedience to the new pope.
3. Francis' respect for Benedict. Instead of going to the front space, the current Pontiff insisted on kneeling with his brother pope. The media is working hard on creating a distinction between the "reformer" Francis and the "traditional" Benedict. I am convinced that this is a media created narrative. One of the first things Francis did as pope was to pray in gratitude for Benedict.
4. Prayerfulness. What an example to us all! We must become people of prayer. Francis and Benedict are showing us that prayer draws us not only closer to God but to each other.
5. Okay, this is the geeky part of me, but seeing the two of them together felt like a comic book crossover that shouldn't happen. After elected, most popes never get a chance to meet the predecessor because they are dead. This is an unusual meeting. It would be like Superman meeting Luke Skywalker or Aquaman showing up on the Battlestar Galactica (what he's doing so far from the water, I have no idea).
Anyway, enjoy the video
There's something moving and even sad about this. It's good to see Papa Benedict once again, yet he is so frail, so quiet. Glad the cameras left them alone during lunch, both of them humble men.
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