KOCHI: When Dominique Mamberti, the Cardinal Protodeacon, announced the name of the new pontiff from the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican around 10:50pm (IST) on Thursday, a group of priests at St Augustine Study Hall in Aluva’s Mariyapuram jumped in joy.
They had two reasons to celebrate: One, Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, was one of them, a member of the Order of St Augustine (OSA). Two, the pontiff had visited their regional house twice.
Of the eight priests at the OSA’s regional house, Fr John Bosco was especially ecstatic.
“The new pontiff had taken part in the priesthood ordination ceremony of six of us from the St Augustine Study Hall in 2004,” recalled Fr Bosco.
“The pontiff, then the prior general of OSA, arrived at the regional house and stayed here for two weeks. During his stay, he interacted with everyone at the hall and also those who came to meet him,” he told TNIE.
Fr Bosco described the new pontiff as a down-to-earth person. “Those interacting with him won’t feel they are talking to a person holding a high post. Back then too, it was as if he was one of us. I remember him placing his hand on our heads and blessing us after the ceremony,” said Fr Bosco, who got ordained on April 22, 2004, along with Fr Robert Roy Manjalikattu, Fr Augustine Thomas Puthenveettil, Fr Shiju Varghese, Fr Anosh S and Fr Tiby Peter. Of them, four are now in Spain, one is in Kollam and Fr Bosco is at the regional house in Aluva.
He said the pontiff visited the St Augustine Study Hall in 2006 and was here for two days. “He had come for the meeting of regional superiors of OSA from the Asia Pacific region,” Fr Bosco said.
Fr Justin Joseph, who is also at the OSA regional house, recalled how he met the pontiff, then a cardinal, in the Vatican in February 2024.
“I had gone there for an official meeting. I met the new pontiff, who was a cardinal then and was stationed at the Vatican as a member of the Dicasteries for Evangelization (Section for First Evangelization and New Particular Churches), for the Doctrine of the Faith, for the Eastern Churches, for the Clergy, for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, for Culture and Education, for Legislative Texts, and a member of the Pontifical Commission for the Vatican City State. He had arrived with other members of the community at the dining hall for lunch. I had heard about him a lot from my fellow priests and was happy to see that everything they said about him was true,” said Fr Joseph.
He said the new pontiff had been very happy to see the delegation from Kerala. “He sat with us for lunch and discussed various things associated with the Church in India and Kerala. He shared the memories he made during his visit to Kerala, and wanted to know whether anything had changed since then. When we invited him to visit Kerala, he expressed his willingness, and told us that since he was free this year, he would love to come down if we organised some programmes,” said Fr Joseph.
“The visit might now be delayed as he has become the head of a country and there are protocols involved,” said Fr Joseph, while recalling how Cardinal Prevost had served them food during the lunch.
