In Rome to honour Mary MacKillop and meet her hero, the brave youngster talks to Andrew Chesterton.
Most nine-year-old girls dream of meeting their Hollywood idols. High School Musical heart-throb Zac Efron, maybe. Or singer Justin Bieber. But not Sophie Delezio. Her little face lights up as she reveals her favourite famous person in the whole wide world is none other than the Pope – who personally blessed her trip to Rome’s Vatican City.
“I wanted to meet him so badly,” Sophie beams. “Like 100-out-of-10 badly! He’s so cool. He wears his hat on the side, so I wanted to say, ‘What’s up?’”
Sophie, her older brother Mitchell, dad Ron and mum Carolyn joined an estimated 8000 Australians who travelled to Rome to witness Mary MacKillop’s canonisation as Australia’s first saint at last weekend’s special mass in St Peter’s Square.
Despite the Catholic Church not needing to add Sophie’s incredible story to its already recognised two official miracles – two Aussie women who recovered from cancer – this matters little to the young Sydneysider, who says she owes her survival to the revered nun.
“This means a lot to everyone, Australia getting its first saint,” Sophie says earnestly. “But it’s very special for me, too.” It has been a dream of Sophie’s to visit Rome, as she believes Mary, now known as Saint Mary Of The Cross, is her guardian angel, helping her recover from two life-threatening accidents – a period her family refers to as their “dark time”.
Related Video:
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
