The glory of delivering the primary studying at Pope Francis’ funeral Mass on Saturday fell to Kielce Gussie, an American who works as a reporter with Vatican Information.
It was, she mentioned on social media, “a good way to say goodbye” to the pontiff.
In a powerful, resonant voice earlier than the numerous hundreds of mourners who had gathered in St. Peter’s Sq. in Vatican Metropolis, Ms. Gussie learn from the Acts of the Apostles 10: 34-43, a Bible verse that Francis chose for the service and that holds giant significance for Catholics.
Ms. Gussie, 28, grew up in Florida, and graduated from Mount St. Mary’s College in Maryland with a level in theology, in keeping with her LinkedIn profile. She started working in Rome in 2019, in keeping with her profile, and final October joined Vatican Information — a information company that Francis created to bolster information protection of the church and the Vatican.
“I’m actually completely satisfied to be right here as a result of it’s a good way to say goodbye to Pope Francis,” Ms. Gussie said on social media outside St. Peter’s Basilica on Saturday morning earlier than the Mass. She added that her final reminiscence of Francis was from her birthday. “He gave me slightly blessing,” she mentioned. “It’s actually a particular technique to spend my birthday.”
She mentioned it had been tough to see Francis develop frail in his ultimate days, “however he gave every little thing till the tip.”
