The Pope has been taking his time to greet pilgrims since they returned to his general audiences.
This flight attendant for 'Alitalia' came to the Vatican to give him this picture with a date written on it: May 5, 1947.
TIZIANA BORGATTA
Alitalia flight attendant
'On May 5, 1947 the first flight after World War II took off from Turin to Catania. And in this year 2021 we hope that our company can bounce back. That's what I came here for.”
There were also newlywed couples: The first that Pope Francis has blessed in his audiences for months.
-'We wanted the Pope...'
-'...to bless our marriage'.
-'We got married on May 8'.
-'Congratulations'.
-'Thank you'.
It's tough to contain your emotions when you get to shake the Pope's hand. That's what happened to Pamela, who was working as an intern in Rome during the pandemic and wanted to say goodbye to the Pope before returning to her home country.
PAMELA YOUNG
'It really was a beautiful experience and he even shook my hand. It was such an emotional moment.”
Others like Stefania were not able to personally greet the Pope, but she was happy to hear his message of hope.
STEFANIA
'It was wonderful. I don't know if you heard him, but he spoke about prayer, something that personally captured me because I need some encouragement.'
Stefania is part of the families in mission of the Neocatechumenal Way. She left her home in Italy to serve the Church in England, where she started her life from scratch with her husband and their seven children.
Justin McLellan / Javier Romero
