Latest news with #LittleSistersofJesus
Indian Express
26-04-2025
- General
- Indian Express
WATCH: Elderly nun, close friend of Pope Francis, breaks protocol to bid a tearful farewell
Breaking traditional protocol, Sister Geneviève Jeanningros, an elderly French-Argentine nun and close friend of Pope Francis, was seen bidding a tearful farewell to the late pontiff inside the restricted area where his coffin is placed at St. Peter's Basilica. The emotional moment was captured from the footage of Pope's first day of lying-in-state and shared on social media. It shows an official gently guiding Jeanningros in a blue headscarf and navy attire towards the casket. Only cardinals, bishops, and priests are typically allowed in the restricted area around the Pope's lying-in-state. However, no security personnel intervened, allowing the nun a quiet, intimate moment of grief. How their friendship began The 81-year-old nun, a member of the Little Sisters of Jesus, stood for a few moments in front of the coffin, wiping away tears as she said her final goodbyes. Known for lifelong dedication to serving the marginalised, Jeanningros and the Pope shared a bond that began in Buenos Aires when he was still Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio. Jeanningros was known to Pope Francis as a trusted confidante for over four decades. She had first become acquainted with him during his time in Argentina, and their friendship deepened as they worked together to advocate for the vulnerable, particularly the marginalized. Jeanningros, who lived in a caravan outside Rome until last year, devoted more than 56 years to humanitarian work, serving people in Ostia, particularly those living on the margins of society. In a video posted by her religious order, Jeanningros recalled how Pope Francis had once personally called her to console her over the death of her aunt, a nun who was forcibly disappeared during Argentina's military dictatorship. Their bond was also marked by shared ideals of compassion and social justice, with Jeanningros often bringing disadvantaged individuals to the Vatican's general audiences. Pope Francis not only welcomed them but also offered financial support and invited them to meals.
Perth Now
26-04-2025
- Perth Now
Pope Francis' coffin sealed as leaders arrive for funeral
Amid the 90,000 flocking to pay their respects to Pope Francis at St Peter's Basilica, an octogenarian nun, carrying a green backpack, quietly broke strict Vatican protocol to approach the coffin of the late Pontiff. French-Argentine nun Sister Geneviève Jeanningros was granted a rare exception to protocol at St. Peter's Basilica. Credit: Vatican Media/X / supplied As hordes continued to follow the Holy See's instruction to pray and cry in silence as the late Pontiff lay in state, 81-year-old Sister Genevieve Jeanningros, who comes from the order of the Little Sisters of Jesus, moved beyond the red rope to farewell Francis, with whom she shared a friendship for more than four decades. The pair's relationship stretched back to Francis' home country of Argentina, where Genevieve's aunt, a French nun was kidnapped and murdered in 1977 during the military dictatorship of Alfredo Astiz. The tragedy led French-Argentine Sister Jeanningros to get involved with defending human rights while maintaining links with Argentina, where she met Francis when he was still Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Buenos Aires' archbishop. The pair bonded over their ties to victims of the repression, according to Pope Francis even gave her the nickname 'L'enfant terrible' for her rebellious spirit, with Sister Jeanningros known to bring homeless people and transgender women to the Vatican's general audiences each week, where the Pontiff received them with open arms. It was little wonder neither the Swiss Guards nor the gendarmes moved to stop Sister Jeanningros from approaching Francis' simple wooden coffin, where she prayed and cried for 20 minutes in a profound show of faith that went viral. Read the full story.
West Australian
25-04-2025
- General
- West Australian
Pope Francis' funeral live updates: Coffin sealed as US President Donald Trump, First Lady arrive in Rome
Scroll down for the latest news and updates. Amid the 90,000 flocking to pay their respects to Pope Francis at St Peter's Basilica, an octogenarian nun, carrying a green backpack, quietly broke strict Vatican protocol to approach the coffin of the late Pontiff. As hordes continued to follow the Holy See's instruction to pray and cry in silence as the late Pontiff lay in state, 81-year-old Sister Genevieve Jeanningros, who comes from the order of the Little Sisters of Jesus, moved beyond the red rope to farewell Francis, with whom she shared a friendship for more than four decades. The pair's relationship stretched back to Francis' home country of Argentina, where Genevieve's aunt, a French nun was kidnapped and murdered in 1977 during the military dictatorship of Alfredo Astiz. The tragedy led French-Argentine Sister Jeanningros to get involved with defending human rights while maintaining links with Argentina, where she met Francis when he was still Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Buenos Aires' archbishop. The pair bonded over their ties to victims of the repression, according to Pope Francis even gave her the nickname 'L'enfant terrible' for her rebellious spirit, with Sister Jeanningros known to bring homeless people and transgender women to the Vatican's general audiences each week, where the Pontiff received them with open arms. It was little wonder neither the Swiss Guards nor the gendarmes moved to stop Sister Jeanningros from approaching Francis' simple wooden coffin, where she prayed and cried for 20 minutes in a profound show of faith that went viral. Read the full story. After around 250,000 people visited St Peter's Basilica to pay tribute to Pope Francis as he lay in state, his coffin has been sealed ahead of his funeral. In a private ceremony attended by senior members of the Catholic church, Cardinal-Camerlengo Kevin Farrell paid tribute to Pope Francis, highlighting his most significant achievements personally and as pope. Archbishop Diego Ravelli then positioned a white silk cloth over Pope Francis' face as holy water was sprinkled over his body. A simple lid on Francis' wood and zinc coffin was then positioned to complete the sealing. More than 100,000 mourners filed into St Peter's Basilica to pay their respects to Pope Francis, viewing his open coffin in the final visiting hours ahead of his funeral. Soon after 7pm local time on Friday the Vatican ended a TV broadcast of the visits that had been running nearly continuously, ahead of a private ceremony to seal his casket. As Italian and Vatican police prepared to close the long queue through the central nave of the church, the last visitors shuffled in. The 88-year-old pope, who had led the Church since 2013, died on Monday in his rooms at the Vatican's Santa Marta guesthouse after suffering a stroke as he was recuperating from weeks of pneumonia. About 250,000 people from all over the world have lined up to say farewell since his body was brought to St Peter's on Wednesday to lie in state, the Vatican said. Read the full story here. US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump have landed in Rome ahead of Pope Francis' funeral which will take place from 10am local time (6pm AEST). The Trump's landed on Friday evening (local time) in what is the President's first overseas trip since returning to office.
Daily Mail
25-04-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
Dramatic moment man is dragged from queue to see Pope Francis after he started screaming
A grieving man has been dragged from the hours-long queue to see the body of Pope Francis, after he began screaming. Shocking footage showed the man inside the Vatican shouting in broken Italian: 'I want to see the Pope.' He shouted: 'The Pope is dead... My name is Samuel, Peter is dead. Samuel is here.' The man, who has not been identified, was gently led out. But photos taken shortly after the uproar showed him thrashing against several guards outside the Vatican. Emotions are high among the tens of thousands of people who have flown into Italy from across the world to pay their respects to the late pontiff, who died on Monday at the age of 88. The nun who was allowed to break protocol to say goodbye to her close friend Pope Francis returned on Friday for a final farewell hours before his coffin is sealed. French-Argentine nun Sister Genevieve Jeanningros was allowed into a restricted area on the first day of the pontiff's lying-in-state to pray before the coffin. The area is traditionally reserved for cardinals, bishops, and priests, but the 81-year-old was allowed in to grieve their friendship, which lasted more than four decades. Jeanningros was seen again on Friday at St Peter's Square, and visiting the Basilica of St Peter to pay her respects once more before the funeral on Saturday. The nun, of the order of the Little Sisters of Jesus, was joined by others as they made the difficult journey to see the pontiff. The Pope had personally visited Jeanningros, whom he playfully referred to l'enfant terrible (the terrible child), in July in Ostia to acknowledge her humanitarian work. Some 150,000 people have passed by Francis's coffin as he lay in state over the past three days in St Peter's Basilica. But the queue for the basilica will close to the public at 6pm local time, with viewings expected to end at 7pm. That time has been pushed back already, remaining open through the night on Thursday to allow more people to pay their respects. Criticism has landed on some mourners taking selfies in front of the open casket, with the Vatican 'inviting' people 'not to take photos'. But it was the appearance of Genevieve Jeanningros on Thursday that most moved onlookers around the world. Jeanningros was seen stepping toward a red rope surrounding the coffin with the assistance of an official, who guided her forward. Dressed in a blue headscarf and navy attire, she stood quietly to one side of the open casket. She then burst into tears and brought her hands to her face, feet away from the late Pope. Taking a tissue, she wiped her eyes and remained in place for a moment. Despite breaking what is traditionally regarded as protocol, no security official intervened, allowing Francis' close friend an intimate moment of farewell. Their July meeting in Ostia, held at Luna Park fairground, publicly highlighted the Pope's respect and adoration for the nun who has dedicated her time to helping those facing marginalisation and social exclusion. The nun has dedicated more than 56 years to serving the most disadvantaged people, especially transgender women, in the region. She reportedly lives in a caravan with another nun, Anna Amelia Giacchetto. The relationship between Jeanningros and Francis began when he was Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Archbishop of Buenos Aires. Their connection was strengthened by their shared commitment to the most vulnerable and by the wounds of the Argentine dictatorship. Every Wednesday, the nun brought groups of fairground workers, homeless people, and transgender women to the Vatican's general audiences. Francis not only received them but also invited them to lunch and offered financial support. Tens of thousands of mourners again filed into St. Peter's Basilica on Friday on the last day to pay final respects to Pope Francis ahead of his funeral on Saturday. Long queues snaked around St. Peter's Square and the surrounding roads, before being funnelled through the heart of the basilica in a single column leading to the central altar, where Francis' open-topped coffin was displayed on a dais. The body of the 88-year-old pope, who died on Monday in his rooms at the Vatican's Santa Marta guesthouse after suffering a stroke, was brought to St. Peter's in a solemn procession on Wednesday. Since then, about 150,000 people from all over the world have bid farewell to the pontiff, the Vatican said. 'It's a very strong feeling (to be here),' said Patricio Castriota, a visitor who, like the pope, is from Argentina. 'This farewell was very sad, but I thank God that I was able to see him'. 'He's the only pope we've had who came from South America, a pope who had many good intentions for the Catholic Church,' Castriota told Reuters. 'He cleaned up (a lot) of the bad, maybe not all of it, but he tried.' Francis, who was pope since 2013, was the first pontiff from the Western hemisphere and was known for an unusually charming, and even humorous, demeanour. His 12-year papacy was sometimes turbulent, with Francis seeking to overhaul a divided institution but battling with traditionalists who opposed his many changes. 'He humanised the church, without desacralising it,' said Cardinal Francois-Xavier Bustillo, who leads the Church on the French island of Corsica. Queues on Friday morning were stretching halfway down the main boulevard leading through Rome into the Vatican. People were pressing forward slowly, some waiting hours, in order to have a few minutes inside to pay their respects to Francis.
New York Times
25-04-2025
- General
- New York Times
Video Catches Nun Bidding Unique Farewell to Pope Francis, an Old Friend
Before thousands lined up for a momentary glWaimpse of Pope Francis's body and a chance to pay their respects, one elderly nun stood facing the pontiff's coffin, bidding a tearful farewell to her longtime friend. A video captured the last tender moments Sister Geneviève Jeanningros shared with the man with whom she was known to be a confidante. Wearing a modest blue veil over her silver hair, Sister Geneviève stood alone and wept, rubbing her face with her hand. Sister Geneviève is a member of a Catholic religious community called the Little Sisters of Jesus, and she said she became friends with the pontiff while he was serving as the bishop of Buenos Aires. In a video posted by her order, Sister Geneviève said she had chided the church in a letter for not sending senior clergy to the funeral of her aunt, a nun who disappeared in the 1970s during Argentina's military dictatorship and who was later found dead. She said that Pope Francis, who was then known as Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, had responded by calling her the same evening. Until last year, Sister Geneviève had lived at a fairground outside Rome in a camper, serving the disadvantaged.
