World
India
In an emotional and unexpected moment, 82-year-old French nun Sister Genevieve broke protocol at St. Peter’s Basilica to stand in silent tribute before Pope Francis’s body. Though the general public had not yet been admitted, she quietly slipped into the basilica her presence a deeply personal act of mourning for a friend and spiritual ally.
From Argentina’s Dark Past to a Vatican Farewell
Sister Genevieve’s journey with Pope Francis began two decades ago under somber circumstances. In 2005, she traveled to Buenos Aires seeking justice for her aunt, Sister Léonie Duquet a fellow French nun who was murdered during Argentina’s brutal 1976–1983 military dictatorship. Duquet, along with Sister Alice Domon and ten other activists, was abducted and thrown into the sea in a notorious “death flight.”
When Duquet’s remains were discovered and identified, Jorge Bergoglio then Archbishop of Buenos Aires and future Pope Francis approved her reburial at Santa Cruz Church, the place where she had been detained. Although initially skeptical of him, Sister Genevieve reached out in grief and frustration, and Bergoglio responded with empathy and action. A surprising friendship took root, blossoming over the years.
A Friendship Beyond Titles
Despite her early doubts voiced again when Bergoglio was announced as Pope in 2013 Sister Genevieve grew to trust and admire Francis. She supported his vision of a church that champions the poor and marginalized. Their bond deepened during the COVID-19 pandemic when she sought his help for struggling fairground workers and members of the LGBTQ community.
Living humbly in a caravan on Italy’s Tyrrhenian coast, Sister Genevieve continued to meet Francis regularly, often bringing vulnerable groups to his weekly audiences. She wrote personal notes to him before each visit, introducing those who needed a word of hope.
Defiant Goodbye
So when the body of Pope Francis was laid in state, Sister Genevieve did what she felt was right she defied protocol and entered the basilica to bid farewell to the man who had stood with her in seeking justice, compassion, and inclusion.
Her quiet act of devotion and defiance, immortalized in images broadcast around the world, speaks to the power of friendship rooted in shared values. Sister Genevieve, once a grieving niece in search of dignity for her aunt, had become a bridge between the forgotten and the Vatican guided, in her words, by a love for the “church of the poor.”
ALSO READ: Vatican Prepares for Pope Francis’s Funeral as World Leaders Arrive in Rome
