Following Up on Friday Night's Vigil Outside Migliore's Residence

Henry Artis was helping to organize a prayer vigil at Our Lady of Good Counsel Church on East 90th Street and a procession to the papal residence on East 72nd.

During the Holy Hour at the church, he got a call from one of the Sisters of Life, who were also involved in organizing the event: “There’s a possibility to see the Pope, but we have to go now.” He was able to invite three friends with him. The group traveled to the tent that was set up in front of the residence, and the Pope came out to greet them. “We thought he’d just say a few words and leave.” But he stayed and greeted each individual.

“I thanked him for being Pope,” said Artis, a convert, “and told him I’m a member of the Fraternity of St. Joseph,” which is the consecrated branch of Communion and Liberation. “He nodded his head and said “Great.” Pope Benedict is an admirer of CL and was a friend of its founder, Msgr. Luigi Giussani.

Artis, who works at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, noticed that the Pope “loves to be with people.”

“You feel like you’re the only one there because he gives you all his attention.”

-- John Burger