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 published: 2005-08-26

Having lunch with the Holy Father, like Christ and the 12 apostles

Interview with Nicolás Frías from the Boys’ Youth in Chile regarding his impressions on the Pope, the Church, and the mission

 

Pressekonferenz nach dem Essen mit dem Papst; Nicolás Frías im hellblauen Hemd vor Bischof Bode

Rueda de prensa despues del almuerzo con el Papa; Nicolás Frías, de camiseta celeste, frente de Mons. Bode

Press Conference after the meal with the Pope; Nicolás Frías, with light blue shirt, in front of Bishop Bode

Pressekonferenz nach dem Essen mit dem Papst; Nicolás Frías im hellblauen Hemd vor Bischof Bode

Foto: Cabero © 2005

 

Die beiden Nicolás bei ihrem Liebesbündnis im Urheiligtum  

Los dos Nicolás en la Misa de Alianza en el Santuario Original

The two Nicolás in the Covenant Mass at the Original Shrine

Die beiden Nicolás bei ihrem Liebesbündnis im Urheiligtum

Foto: Mihelic © 2005

 
Pressekonferenz: ein starkes Zeugnis der Verbundenheit der Jugendlichen mit dem Papst  

Rueda de prensa: un testimonio fuerte de la vinculación de los jóvenes con el Papa

Press Conference: a strong testimony of the young people’s attachment to the Pope

Pressekonferenz: ein starkes Zeugnis der Verbundenheit der Jugendlichen mit dem Papst

 
Nicolás Frías beim Interview  

Nicolas Frías en la entrevista

Nicolás Frías during the interview

Nicolás Frías beim Interview

 
“Wir haben eine Sendung”  

“Tenemos una mission”

“We have a mission”

“Wir haben eine Sendung”

Fotos: Cabero © 2005

 

 

 

 

On the 19th of August, Pope Benedict XVI, following a tradition started by John Paul II, had lunch with 12 youths representing the entire World. Among them was a Schoenstatt youth: Nicolás Frías, 19, student of law at the Catholic University of Santiago, Chile. For the youths, it was most significant that there were precisely 12 invitees to this luncheon because they somehow felt they were representing the 12 apostles with Christ.

After the press conference, Patricia Cabero spoke to Nicolás Frías:

P: What was your first impression upon seeing the Pope?

N: At first I was a little nervous because for the Pope, Pope Benedict, it was the first time he was in a meeting with youths. This sort of all came together for me and made me a little nervous. Little by little, I felt him to be warm and close, especially since I was the first one to greet him. I conversed with him and he said, "Hello, you are from Chile" and then he began to speak to me in Spanish. He told me he had been in Chile before, that he had been in Santiago, in the North of Chile, en Calama. That really put me at ease….. that he spoke to me in Spanish and that he greeted me in a charming way. He also gave me a gift. That is the way he was with all 12, with each one.

P: Was he as you had imagined him to be? Did you already have an idea?

N: Truthfully, I had no idea. I only knew that I was going to have lunch with the Pope, nothing more. But to be with him, to speak to him, to touch him, to be there physically with him…..no, I had no idea on what to expect. For example, when I gave him the gifts, I showed him a picture of the family…..he touched it, looked at it and said, "Where are you? How nice." I also gave him a Chilean flag. He was very natural: that’s the Pope.

P: In general, what did you talk about?

N: At first it was very relaxed…..speaking of nothing in particular…..talking about the food…..about what we are doing over here…..very tranquil. Later, each one introduced himself: Hello, I am so and so…..I come from here or there…..I do such and such…..I am so many years old. Each one of the 12 introduced ourselves. I introduced myself and told him I belonged to Schoenstatt and he was very happy. He said, "You are from Schoenstatt, that is very good!" I told him I was from Chile, that he knew the country, we spoke for a while, I told him I studied at the Catholic University and he told me he had been there, that he knew the place. He was very charming.

Suddenly, just as I was introducing myself, Cardinal Meisner entered and for a moment I thought: the Pope and Cardinal Meisner are listening to me. Cardinal Meisner was going to say something to the Pope and he stopped and looked at me and then the Pope looked at me. I continued speaking and then I froze, I said whatever and stopped talking.

P: Did you speak on something specific about Latinamerica?

N: Regarding Latinamerica specifically, no. We only had an hour and a half and time passed most quickly, so quickly that it seemed we only had 10 minutes. When I introduced myself, I told him a little of what we do in Chile, our missionary activity, but not too much. I gave him the flag of Chile and told him we loved him very much and that we were awaiting his visit. He was always grateful for everything.

P: As a Schoenstatter, what does this experience mean to you? Does it have a special meaning? How will it affect your group?

N: My group is almost entirely here. There are eight of us here. Another one of my group brothers, Nicolás Valdivieso, is also here as a volunteer. He will be on television all over the place because he is an official Spanish-speaking moderator for Marienfeld (Mary’s Camp). Without a doubt, all of this is really incredible. God is telling us something. It is a great gift from the Blessed Mother. This possibility of being with the Pope is also a great gift. First, to represent Chile in the WYD organization for six months and then to represent America at lunch with the Pope…..What an honor. I said, "Thank you, Blessed Mother and I trust in You." And, I am happy.

P: A Sister asked me to ask you if you had taken your Schoenstatt kerchief to the luncheon?

N: Yes, I took it.

P: Did the Pope see it?

N: I do not know if he saw it because I took it in my backpack along with the Chilean flag. But I was there with the Schoenstatt kerchief and the Chilean flag. I gave him the flag of Chile as a gift.

P: What was lunch like, what did you have to drink?

N: To begin with, it was a delicious salad, typical German salad with lettuce, tomato, and salad dressing. The entrée was vegetable canelones of different flavors. To drink, we had wine, a delicious white wine and mineral water. Dessert was a delicious applestrudel. Everything was delicious.

And time passed very quickly, much too quick. Before we realized it, we were having dessert and coffee and we were saying good-bye. But the life experience is having been with the Pope, having shared with him.

P: How was the seating at the table arranged, that is, where was he sitting and where were you?

N: It was a rectangle and we could sit wherever we wanted to. I sat in front of the Pope on the left side and from there I could see him face to face as we conversed and could see him when he spoke to all of us. I sat next to the girl from Canada, on the other side was the girl from Taiwan, on the other side the boy from Palestine, from Bethlehem, then there was Maurice from Benin, then Florian from the Congo, then the Pope, then the German youth – then there was the other girl from Germany, the girl from Australia, the one from France, and then the young man from New Zealand.

P: What will you tell the Schoenstatt Youth after this experience?

N: What I would tell them seriously is that Schoenstatt has much to offer. In all aspects, Schoenstatt has much to offer the Church. I can say this after having lived for six months as a Schoenstatter, and with a Schoenstatt group in which we are also volunteers in the organization for WYD: the mission we have which was entrusted to us by Father Kentenich for the Church is great and truthfully, we have to do it…..it is necessary…..that mission which we have is a gift and we have much to offer…..a great deal.

Translation: Carlos Cantu, LaFeria, TX, USA



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