Top aide reveals moments that melted Papa’s heart in tour

Pope Francis wound up his three-day pastoral and State visit to Kenya with a smile and lasting memories about his first touchdown on Kenyan soil and the first landing on the African soil as Pontiff.

In a detailed briefing to journalists, Fr Federico Lombardi (pictured inset), the Holy See spokesperson, who essentially speaks for the Vatican, said the Pope’s trip and talk with nearly everyone he met were “positive and interesting”.

The thing which gave the Pope a tingle of the spine was the dancing at the Pap‎al Mass at the University of Nairobi(UoN).

“The Mass was a wonderful moment of joy with all song and dance... the Pope appreciated this aspect. He said ‘they sing and dance with every muscle of their bodies. The group of children at the altar was wonderful’,” recalled Fr Lombardi.

That stuck to Pope Francis’ mind.

The rain was also a blessing.

The Pope actually was wowed when the Muslim cleric Prof Abdul Ghaful el Bussaidy urged all religious leaders to join hands to defeat impunity, greed, corruption and blackmail. Fr Lombardi, also the Director of the Holy See Press Office said the Pope was happy with El Bussaidy’s message and even called him “a revolutionary-minded man of God”.

The cleric earned that title because in his address there was a call for the religious leaders to take the lead in driving the moral agenda of the country. “We, the religious leaders should be the leaders of this world. We should not step back and let the politicians lead us,” Fr Lombardi quoted Prof El Bussaidy verbatim.

It is that message that stuck in the Pope’s mind from that Thursday morning breakfast he had with the religious leaders at the Apostolic Nunciature in Nairobi.

In the briefing at the Kempinski Hotel, Fr Lombardi rehashed the call for dialogue, peace, forgiveness, and respect for nature and the conservation of the environment. The priest relayed His Holiness’ journey from Rome to Kenya and his packed schedule.

The Pope jetted into Kenya on Wednesday after a long flight from Rome and on arrival was driven to State House. The following day he hosted religious leaders for breakfast at the Residence of the Apostolic Nuncio, led Mass at UoN Grounds attended by up to 300,000 people, went to St Mary’s School to meet Catholic clergy, then he addressed a meeting on climate change at the United Nations before he retired to bed.

For any person, that is a very busy schedule. But for the 78-year-old, he drew a lot of energy from the smiles and the hopeful cheers that the crowds in all these venues sent his way.

“He is very happy, and in good health, and all is going well for him,” said Fr Lombardi.

Active church

That 8,000 people — mainly nuns, priests and — mainly the Catholic clergy turned up at St Mary’s School for his meeting melted his heart.

“It was very impressive, not only in the numbers, but the fact that all these people who were with the Pope represent an active church in Kenya,” said Fr Lombardi. The Catholic church’s footprint in schools and hospitals in the country were also a source of pride for the Pope.

Blessed Irene “Nyaatha “ Stefani, the nun who was beatified in Nyeri earlier in the year in recognition for her work in caring for the poor and the sick, was also a signal to the Pope that Kenya was “an engaged church”.

Today, the Pope will head to Central Africa Republic. Fr Lombardi said even though there were reports of fresh escalation of violence in Bangui, the itinerary had not changed. “I think we are set more than before. We are getting closer and closer and I have not heard any change in the programme,” said Fr Lombardi.

On his last day in Kenya, he went to meet the poor in Kangemi, then Safaricom Stadium in Kasarani for a meeting with youth. It is in that meeting that the Pontiff spoke like a father as he inspired the young souls.

In his simplicity, he put his right hand into his pocket and fished out a rosary and some leather-bound album of the Way of the Cross – a series of pictures showing the journey of Jesus after his betrayal all the way to the cross.

“I am going to tell you a secret. I am going to tell you something in confidence. In my pocket, I always carry two things: A rosary to pray with, which to some of you might seem odd,” Pope Francis said.

He continued: “With these two things I do the best that I can, and thanks to these two things, I never lose hope!”

As he stared at the young excited crowd, the Pontiff was full of gratitude: “I thank you from the bottom of my heart, first, because you came here, and secondly because you allowed me to speak to you in my mother tongue. I am so grateful that you said so many rosaries for me. Please pray for me because I need those prayers too.”

Though the Pope touched on broad issues affecting young people, he summarised it with a call for compassion for the poor.

And with that, the simple Argentine Pope who likes to call himself the Bishop of Rome left an indelible mark in the lives of Kenyans.