Sister Genevieve Jeanningros prays in front of the body of late Pope Francis inside St.
Sister Genevieve and Pope Francis first met in 2005 when she traveled from Rome to Buenos Aires for the burial of her aunt
An 81-year-old French nun who was friends with Pope Francis broke Vatican protocol when she approached the pontiff’s casket to say goodbye.
Sister Genevieve Jeanningros was at St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican as thousands of mourners waited for hours to say goodbye and see Francis lying in state reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).
On Wednesday, April 23, the first day of Francis lying in state, Genevieve entered an area generally reserved for cardinals, priests and bishops, all of whom are male, to pay respects to the pope, according to the news agency. At the time, the general public were not yet permitted inside.
According to footage shared on social media, the nun was seen approaching a rope surrounding Francis’s coffin with help from an official, theTelegraph reported.
Standing a few feet from the casket, Genevieve wept and placed her hands on her face, appearing to be emotionally moved, the newspaper added.
NBC News reported that when she began to weep, nobody stopped her, allowing her a moment to grieve.
The nun and the late pope first met in 2005 when she traveled from Rome to Buenos Aires for the burial of her aunt Leonie Duquet, who was also a French nun, according to the AFP.
Francis, who was then just Bishop Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires, gave approval for the re-burial of Duquet, who died in the mid-1970s during the country’s dictatorship, the news agency reported.
Last July, Francis went to Ostia, a Roman neighborhood, to meet Genevieve, who is known for her work with the LGBTQ+ community, Reuters reported.
The nun would also visit Francis every week and bring a group of LGBTQ+ community members with her, after he resumed receiving public audiences following the COVID pandemic. “I always wrote to him a little message to tell him who was coming,” said Genevieve, according to the AFP.
Francis died on Monday, April 21, at the age of 88. Two days later, his body was taken from his residence at the Casa Santa Marta to St. Peter’s Basilica.
When his coffin was carried into St. Peter’s Basilica, over 20,000 people erupted into “subdued but sustained applause,” according to the Vatican.
A group of cardinals were the first to pay their respects, and then the public began filing in. According to CBS News, many in line waited four hours or more.
“It was his compassion that really brought people to him,” Sophia Cabello, a University of Dallas student who was on the line at the time, told PEOPLE. “Even people who aren’t necessarily religious, people who aren’t Catholic, I’ve seen giving condolences and really appreciating what he did in his life.”
Francis’ body will remain at St. Peter’s Basilica until his burial on Saturday, April 26. Afterwards, it will be transported to the Basilica of St. Mary Major, the late pontiff’s favorite church, where he will be buried.
