Pope Francis en route to Panama
pays tribute to late journalist
 |
| Alexej Bukalov. |
Exchanging words of greeting with journalists aboard the
papal flight to Panama, Pope Francis remembered Russian journalist, Alexej
Bukalov, who died last December.
By Andrea Tornielli
"A man of great humanity" able to provide a
synthesis with the style of Dostoevsky: Pope Francis was
visibly moved when speaking these words after greeting journalists on the plane
to Panama. He was remembering Alexej Bukalov, Rome correspondent of
the TASS news agency and veteran journalist of papal flights. Bukalov,
who followed papal journeys right up until the most recent one, passed away on
28 December last, aged 78.
After thanking the journalists who will be reporting on his
activities and words in the next few days in Panama, for the intense work they
will be carrying out, the Pope said with audible emotion: “This is the first
flight in which a colleague of yours, Alexei Bukalov of TASS news agency, to
whom I was very close, is missing”.
“He was a man – Francis added - of great humanity. A kind of
humanity that is not afraid of plumbing the lowest depths of human nature, and
of ascending to the Divine. A man capable of providing a synthesis in the
style of Dostoevsky”.
The Pope then asked everyone to observe a moment of silence
in memory of the Russian journalist and concluded with the Lord’s prayer. The
journalists reacted to the Pope's tribute to their colleague with a round of
warm applause.
Before the papal greeting, papal trip organizer, Monsignor
Mauricio Rueda Belz, introduced Alessandro Gisotti, the “ad interim” Holy See
Press Office Director, on his first papal journey in this role.
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét