NEW YORK (CNN) — Pope Francis gave the students of Our Lady Queen of Angels School an important assignment during his visit on Friday.
“I would like to give you some homework. Can I do that? It is a simple request, but very important,” he told them.
“Please don’t forget to pray for me, so that I can share with many people the joy of Jesus,” he said. “Let us also pray so that many people can share the joy like yours.”
And joyous they were. When Francis arrived, dozens of school children were lined up outside of the school. At a beauty shop across the street, about 30 people who had been waiting since last night held up banners and scream out his name in Spanish: Francisco, Francisco!
The students squealed and some shed tears of joy while taking selfies with the Pope.
“They tell me that one of the nice things about this school … is that some of its students here, some of you, come from other places and many from other countries,” Francis said. “That is nice!”
The school, which serves 295 mostly Latino and black children, is in line with Francis’ mission of serving immigrants, the marginalized and the poor. It also illustrates the Roman Catholic Church’s struggles with changing times, diminishing congregations and a dwindling priesthood.
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