CHILDREN GREET DELIGHTED POPE WITH GIFTS AND ROSES
TÁNAISTE Simon Coveney’s children welcomed Pope Francis to Dublin Airport and were each rewarded with a gentle pat on the head and a set of rosary beads. Beth, 9, Jessica, 7, and Analise, 5, Coveney greeted the Pontiff in English, Irish and Spanish, welcoming him to Ireland.
Analise had been lined up to present the Pope with a simple posy of yellow and white roses but, according to her father, suffered stage fright in the moments leading up to Francis’s arrival.
Mr Coveney and his wife Ruth, dressed in a beautiful red silk dress, did their best to reassure their youngest daughter but not even the promise of a new kitten could persuade her. Finally, older sister Jess presented the flowers alongside her sisters.
Pope Francis was also greeted this morning by the Boland family from Nenagh in Co. Tipperary. Jane Boland, 11, won a competition organised by World Missions Ireland to design a vestment for the Pope to wear at some point during his visit.
Art fan Jane, declaring that she was ‘not nervous at all,’ had designed a motif expressing her hope that the world would become a better place. Flanked by her parents Ruairi and Maura and younger brothers Daniel and Tom, she presented her gift to the Pope and beamed as he thanked her and said: ‘That’s very nice of you’.
‘We thought it was appropriate that the Pope be welcomed by children. It’s a huge privilege for our family to meet him,’ said Mr Coveney.
‘He was gentle and kind, as you would expect, but it has been a difficult build up to the visit for many people – abuse victims, Catholics and many clergy.’