{"id":79009,"date":"2023-01-08T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-01-08T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.worldcatholicnews.com\/pope-benedicts-kiss-goodbye-catholic-news-agency\/"},"modified":"2023-01-08T10:00:00","modified_gmt":"2023-01-08T15:00:00","slug":"pope-benedicts-kiss-goodbye-catholic-news-agency","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.worldcatholicnews.com\/pope-benedicts-kiss-goodbye-catholic-news-agency\/","title":{"rendered":"Pope Benedict\u2019s kiss goodbye | Catholic News Agency"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n

<\/p>\n

By CNA Staff <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Vatican City, Jan 8, 2023 \/ 08:00 am<\/p>\n

The infant son of former Catholic News Agency editor David Uebbing received a farewell kiss on his forehead from Pope Benedict XVI on Feb. 27, 2013, at the plaza of St. Peter\u2019s Basilica before the pope\u2019s final general audience.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo see him today in the final hours of his papacy and to have him hold my son in his arms was a special kind of blessing, and a consolation from the Lord,\u201d Uebbing\u2019s wife, Jenny, the mother of the fortunate infant, John Paul, told CNA on Feb. 27, 2013.<\/p>\n

\u201cI asked the Lord to help me truly experience this morning, this last event with Pope Benedict, and to not be anxious about whether we would get a good spot or be able to see him drive by,\u201d she said. \u201cI had so much peace while we were waiting for the audience to begin, and I just prayed that if we were meant to get close to His Holiness, the Lord would arrange the details. And he did.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jenny Uebbing had come to the plaza at 7:30 in the morning with her sister and her two sons, John Paul \u2014 who is now almost 11 \u2014 and Joey. On her blog, \u201cMama needs coffee,\u201d she described three hours of \u201cpressing crowds and stalwartly holding our position against the barricade, hoping against hope to catch a glimpse of our beloved Holy Father.\u201d<\/p>\n

David Uebbing, John Paul\u2019s father and former office head of CNA\u2019s Rome bureau, described how \u201ca security guard offered to pass him to Archbishop [Georg] G\u00e4nswein when the popemobile came by.\u201d<\/p>\n

G\u00e4nswein at the time was head of the Prefecture of the Papal Household and was in the popemobile along with Benedict XVI. He supported John Paul while the pope embraced him and gave a him a fatherly kiss.<\/p>\n

Jenny Uebbing said that after John Paul was passed back to her, the Roman pontiff passed by their spot in the crowd.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe locked eyes for a moment and I was able to tell him \u2018thank you.\u2019 That was all I could have asked for, to personally thank him not only for the moment of grace when he kissed my little son, but for his total gift of self to the Church,\u201d she told CNA at the time.<\/p>\n

Her sister Christina also described her own experience of sharing a glance with the Holy Father.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt felt like I was looking at Jesus, in a way,\u201d she said. \u201cWhen I looked into his eyes, I didn\u2018t see only the man, the pope, but also the One he serves. There was so much love and kindness in his eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pope Benedict holds a special place in Jenny Uebbing\u2018s heart, as \u201cthe Holy Father who invited me home to the faith of my childhood. In a sense, he held open the door of the Church and welcomed me inside again,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

David Uebbing told CNA that \u201cmy wife and I were overjoyed at the pope\u2018s kindness and the gentle love you could see on his face when he kissed John Paul.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Uebbings moved to Rome in early January 2013. \u201cBefore today we would have already said that Pope Benedict made our lives a lot more exciting than we thought he would, but when our youngest son was kissed by him today we were speechless,\u201d David Uebbing said.<\/p>\n

For a child of only 10 months, John Paul already had quite the papal connections. Aside from being kissed on the forehead by the vicar of Christ, he was named for Pope Benedict\u2018s predecessor. Also, he was born on April 19, 2012, the seventh anniversary of Pope Benedict\u2018s accession as bishop of Rome. John Paul now has four younger siblings, the youngest of whom turned 3 in November and is named Benedict. One more sibling is expected in March.<\/p>\n

This story was originally published Feb. 28, 2013. It was updated by CNA on Jan. 4, 2023.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n

\"CNA\n <\/div>\n

The Catholic News Agency (CNA) Staff are a team of journalists dedicated to reporting news concerning the Catholic Church around the world. Our bureaus are located in Denver, Washington, and Rome. We have sister language agencies in Kenya, Germany, Peru, Brazil, and Italy. CNA is a service of EWTN News. You can contact us at news@catholicna.com with questions.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n