Humble. Maintaining a rare simplicity, so unequivocally connected with his personality and the true meaning of his otherwise illustrious position, the “Pope of the Poor,” as he was known, visited Cyprus in December 2021 on an Apostolic journey to the Holy Land.
Dressed in his white vestments, devoid of golden adornments, and with a benevolent disposition, he begun official contacts in the capital on December 2nd, 2021. His mode of transport, a diminutive Italian car instead of a limousine, in a capital city transformed into an impenetrable fortress by security forces.
From the very first moment and even before disembarking from the aircraft, his concern was for the suffering, the afflicted, and those in need. The historic visit of Pope Francis, evoked feelings of religious devotion and emotion among the faithful, while on December 3, 2021, the Pontiff officiated in a liturgy held at GSP stadium with thousands attending from Christian communities all over the Middle East.
The Pope did not just impress the devout Catholics. His popularity was universal and went beyond even Christian dogmas. It could never have been any different. The Argentinian Pontiff cared for all, forgave all and apologised to all, in many and significant ways bridging the rift between the Catholic and the Orthodox faith, as well as helping to mend the tarnished image of the Catholic church after decades of revelations of child abuse in the church. He was a man of love. And fatefully, his last words were those of love, marking the celebration of love.
