When Pope Francis walked down the aisle and clasped my hand

It was never meant to be just another office trip. I was travelling with a head of state, the head of the Catholic Church, and the leader of one billion people.

In early January 2019, I was asked to cover the visit of Pope Francis to the UAE taking place in February. So I prepared myself as best I could – reading up on the Vatican and the Pope, getting ready with the paperwork and fielding questions from friends, to which I did not have answers.

Covering the visit meant going to the Vatican for a briefing, flying to the UAE on the papal plane, travelling with the entourage in Abu Dhabi, flying back to Rome, and then of course returning to work in Gulf News – all in the space of a few days.

I had heard and read about Pope Francis being a simple and humble man, how he cared for those who did not have, how he encouraged the people to give from their hearts and about how we should break down barriers with love.

But nothing prepared me for what happened on the flight from Rome to Abu Dhabi. It was my first trip with a pope and I had no idea what to expect. (I realised later that there was another journalist who was covering a papal visit for the 100^th time. She was so familiar with the Vatican staff that a cake was cut for her on the flight).

From the time we boarded the plane, an Alitalia B777 aircraft that was used to fly Pope Francis, his entourage, and journalists, there was excitement on board. The cameramen were given seats by the windows so they could set up their equipment. Someone said the pope would come to the back of the plane and meet the media team about half an hour after take-off. We waited.

And then it happened. I saw humility walk towards me. The man in a simple white cassock spoke a few words in Italian and then began walking down the aisle. He shook hands with every single journalist, pausing, listening to them, looking into their eyes, nodding gently. Then he moved on to the next person.

We were allowed a few seconds each during which time we could exchange a greeting.

When my turn came I said: “I bring you greetings from Gulf News where I work, and the church founded by St Thomas, where I worship.” Shaking my hand, Pope Francis looked at me, and then turned to the official beside him for a translation. Just as the Catholic church is believed to have been founded by St Peter, one of the disciples of Jesus, the church I go to, the Mar Thoma Church, is believed to have been founded by another disciple – St Thomas.

When he heard the translation, the pope clasped my hand warmly, looked into my eyes, smiled and nodded.

He then moved on to the next person.

As he walked down the aisle and then up the other, I could see some journalists present him with mementos.

After the Pope went back to the front of the plane, there was a scramble to find out who took our pictures. We needed them for posterity. I asked around and one colleague said he had good pictures of me. "Can I AirDrop them to you," he asked. Of course, he could.

In Abu Dhabi, it was a whirlwind tour. The pope met the leaders of the country, attended various functions and signed the 'Human Fraternity Declaration' along with Dr Ahmad Al Tayyeb, Grand Imam of Al Azhar Al Sharif, which seeks to build bridges of love, amity and coexistence among peoples.

Just before leaving the country, Pope Francis led a Mass attended by nearly 200,000 people.

On the way back to Rome, we had one more opportunity to interact with the pope on the flight. This time it was a press conference where we were allowed to ask questions about the trip to the UAE and on issues confronting the church.

Looking back, I have often wondered why a man of such stature as the Pope would want to come and meet the journalists individually on the flight. He did not have to do it. He could have just made a few remarks to us and retired to the front of the plane to relax.

The only reason he did it with us – and with journalists on all his other trips till recently when ill health did not allow him to walk around the plane – was his humility. It came from within – quiet, sincere and unmistakable.

And it is for this humility, his warm smile and the clasp of the hand that I will always remember Pope Francis.