Keralite lunches with Pope, pasta and prayer on menu

A 25-year-old woman from Kerala and 13 other Catholic pilgrims joined Pope John Paul II for a lunch on Strawberry Island, his secluded retreat north of Toronto during World Youth Day.

Over salad, pasta and chocolate cake, the Pope led them in prayer, asked about their backgrounds and then joined them in song. ‘‘He was so lovely, like a father sitting with his little daughter,’’ said Sangeetha Joseph.

‘‘I told him about being in New York on September 11,’’ said Robin Cammarota of the Bronx. ‘‘He said it was a terrible tragedy and asked me if I was there. I told him of course I was, and he said he would keep us in his prayers,’’ said the 19-year-old Hunter College student.