The woman, niece of Léonie Duquet (one of the disappeared nuns during the last Argentine dictatorship), was not contemplated in the official protocol that reserved that moment for cardinals and bishops. Even so, nothing stopped her.
During the farewell ceremony of the Pope Francisan image became a symbol of tenderness and commitment: Sor Geneviève Jeanninggros, 81, approached the coffin and remained silent for several minutes. The religious, niece of Léonie Duquet (One of the missing nuns during the last Argentine dictatorship), was not contemplated in the official protocol that reserved that moment for cardinals and bishops. Even so, nothing stopped her.
With his green backpack behind his back, he leaned down, prayed in silence and let the tears talk about her. No one interrupted that moment. It was an intimate tribute, loaded with meaning, which became one of the most remembered of the day.
Who is the religious who challenged the protocol to pray with Pope Francis
Sor Genevièvemember of the Jesus’ little sistershe has lived for decades in the neighborhood of Ostiaon the outskirts of Romewhere he works with vulnerable communities, especially with trans people and traders. His life has been dedicated to the accompaniment of those who are often out of the institutional radar. Next to the sister Anna Amelia Giachchettoresides in a caravan, sharing the day to day with the people he attends.
The nun built a deep link with the Pope Francis. He approached him to marginal realities and presented people who work on the street, some of whom were received by him in the Vatican. On several occasions, the Pontiff He shared meals with these communities, and also offered economic and spiritual support.
The journalist Hernán Reyes Alcaidewitness of this link during its years as a correspondent of the Vaticanhe reported how Sor Geneviève became a key figure in the meetings between Francisco and Human Rights groups, and how the Dad He called her with affection “L’e Enant Terrible”, in allusion to his firm character and his tireless work.
During the pandemicHis work gained even more relevance. Together with the parish priest Andrea meets and the cardinal Konrad KrajewskI, coordinated food and sanitary assistance for traders and trans people who could not work. Thanks to his impulse, in July 2024, the Pope visited a amusement park in Ostia, an encounter that deeply marked the local community.
The gesture of Sor Geneviève during the wake of Francisco It was more than a farewell act: it was a reaffirmation of its cause, of its link with the Dad and of his commitment to the most excluded. Amid the protocol and solemnity, its presence in front of the body of the Pontiff It represented the human closeness that both knew how to build over the years.
From his sensitive gaze and his history marked by memory and justice, Sor Geneviève accompanied to Pope Francis in life, and also in his last goodbye. His gesture will be recorded as a sincere expression of love, faith and commitment to those who need it most.
Source: Ambito
