Privileged to be blessed8230;8217; 8212; Pope touches hearts at Vatican Embassy

NEW DELHI, NOV 7: I offered a bouquet to Pope John Paul II,'' a proud Sister Patricia announced. I had chosen flowers in Papal colour...

NEW DELHI, NOV 7: 8220;I offered a bouquet to Pope John Paul II,8221; a proud Sister Patricia announced. 8220;I had chosen flowers in Papal colours. As the Papal flag is all yellow and white, my bouquet was also the same. The Pope received my bouquet with love.8221;

Sister Patricia is a senior staff at the Apostolic of the Holy See. She is not the only one dazed by the experience. The Pope8217;s 8220;healing words and mesmerising touch8221; seem to have swayed everyone off their feet at the nunciature. Being in the company of the Holy Father for almost a day now has left them awe-struck.

8220;The Pope is very feeble,8221; said the sister. 8220;His hands trembled slightly as he received my bouquet. But, as the representative of Jesus, he has a very strong will. Though he gets tired easily, he is looking forward to meeting more and more people.8221; For the six nuns who live at the Vatican embassy, life seems to have taken on a new meaning. 8220;We were the few privileged ones who were blessed by the Pope,8221; said one of the nuns. 8220;The Popeblessed us in the Italian language. He said: Peace be with you. Praise to Jesus Christ.8217; We knelt and kissed his ring. I am at a loss of words. I cannot describe how I felt thereafter.8221;

Four priests prayed along with the Pope at the morning mass at the Vatican embassy chapel. The Holy father attended the mass after completing his private prayers in his apartment. 8220;The Holy Father spends most of his time in prayer,8221; said embassy social secretary Thomas Chirayal. 8220;To able to pray along with him is one of the greatest gift a Catholic can receive in his entire lifetime.8221; Once the Pope left for Rashtrapati Bhawan this morning, an emotional embassy staff took time off to share their experiences. The Pope was away the entire morning, meeting the President, Prime Minister and other dignitaries. He also paid his respects to the Father of the Nation at Rajghat. Meanwhile, the Italian cook prepared lunch for the Pope back at the embassy.

The embassy office remained closed to the public and the staff kept busybriefing each other. Some of the staff had seen the Holy Father earlier and discussed how the Pope had bent with age. Coordinator of Papal visit, Father Iryes Fernandes told The Indian Express: 8220;I am meeting the Pope for the fourth time. I had met him in Rome earlier. But each meeting has been special. When I met the Holy Father at the airport last night, he blessed me. The Pope said he was very happy to be here.8221;

Embassy employee Sudarshan Chand said: 8220;I come from Nepal. I am blessed to be present here during the Papal visit.8221;