An American journalist has made international headlines after being unexpectedly chosen to give the first reading at the funeral of Pope Francis.
On Saturday, April 26, at the funeral mass held in St. Peter’s Square, Rome, 28 year old Kielce Gussie took the podium to honour the Pope with a reading from the Acts of the Apostles, the fifth book of the New Testament, recounting the origins of the Christian Church. As a journalist for Vatican News in Rome, where she has resided since 2019, Gussie was humbled by the request.
According to Deborah Norville of Inside Edition, Gussie was informed of her role in the funeral just three days prior to the ceremony. Originally from Florida, Gussie relocated to Maryland to pursue her higher education before eventually settling in Rome, as shared by Norville on her Instagram.
Upon learning the news, Gussie recalled, “My initial thought was ‘Oh my god’ but then, after I thought ‘this is such a huge honor,’ to be a part of this momentous occasion.
Also, for me, it’s such a big way to say thank you to Pope Francis,” as reported by CBS News. Gussie joined Vatican News just seven months before Francis’ funeral, as her LinkedIn profile shows.
A devout Catholic, Gussie has had the honour of meeting the pope twice, with one encounter falling on her birthday, which she cherishes as a special personal moment, as reported by CBS News.
Reflecting on their meeting, Gussie shared with the news outlet, “I didn’t see him as the head of the Catholic Church, I saw him as a grandfather. And so for me, I will remember him as someone who really cared for each person that he met.”
Before her current role, Gussie spent two years reporting for Rome Reports TV News Agency and worked as a production assistant at EWTN in 2020.
Prior to her relocation to Rome, she completed her studies at Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, Md. , where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in theology.
The funeral of Pope Francis on April 26 saw over 250,000 people, including dignitaries like President Donald Trump, Joe and Jill Biden, and Prince William, descend upon Rome to pay their respects.
The Vatican disclosed that Pope Francis passed away due to a cerebral stroke leading to coma and irreversible cardiocirculatory collapse on April 21.
The pontiff’s health was also compromised by a “previous episode of acute respiratory failure in bilateral multimicrobial pneumonia, multiple bronchiectasis, arterial hypertension and type II diabetes.”
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