Far from the cameras that have followed him since his first step on Canadian soil, Pope Francis digressed from his official agenda on Thursday to visit a group of men struggling with drug or alcohol addiction. The Saint-Alphonse Fraternity, in Beauport, was still floating on a cloud the day after this intimate meeting with the most famous inhabitant of the Vatican.
Father André Morency confesses: he had to lie to preserve the secrecy surrounding this impromptu visit. “I had known for a month that he might pass. The only condition was that it had to be kept confidential for security reasons. »
This lie, however, was rather venial. “I couldn’t say, Thursday morning, that we were organizing a mechoui because Pope Francis was coming to visit us. Instead, I told my gang that we make a mechoui to thank them! »
The Fraternité Saint-Alphonse, which he founded 30 years ago, is not used to distinguished guests. On the contrary: he baptized the men who frequent it the “no-names”, people haunted by their demons, wounded by their past and often abandoned to their drift.
“They almost always experienced rejection and indifference,” he explains. They have always been married with this attitude. »
Francis, known as the pope of the poor, wanted to show them his respects after the mass he celebrated at the Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré basilica. He diverted his large motorcade from the highway and the official program for about twenty minutes to greet them – sometimes even confess them – in a French that would make some federal ministers blush.
In all, about sixty people experienced this unexpected moment of closeness with the pope, first reported Thursday evening by TVA Quebec.
An intimate encounter
Several residents of the fraternity, still stunned to have had this intimate access to the Holy Father, still could not believe it on Friday. “I still have shivers,” said one of them To have to. ” It’s incredible ! enthused another. They come to the brotherhood to lay down their unhappiness in hopes of lightening their lives. The papal visit – brief as it was – allowed them to feel, for a rare time, considered.
Father André Morency says that the pope, as soon as he got out of his car, showed a broad smile and a radiant face. “During official ceremonies, I sometimes found that he looked down. Coming here, it was quite the opposite: he was joking with us, he had light in his eyes. »
Before leaving, the sovereign pontiff presented an icon with the effigy of Mary and Jesus to the Society – in addition to slipping four envelopes into the palm of his host. “He told me they were for the poor. When I opened the envelopes in my office, I saw that it was written 5000, 5000, 5000 in the corner. It was a gift: he gave us $20,000 for the less well-off,” says Father Morency.
The man of faith takes a break; he is still touched that François has shown such leniency towards his work. “He’s our pope,” he concludes. He, the poor, is his world. »
Father André had known “for a good month” that the sovereign pontiff was going to visit his backyard. The Archbishop of Quebec, Gérald Cyprien Lacroix, had promised him, several years ago, to introduce him to the next pope who would come to the national capital. “I wrote him a letter when the rumor of his coming to Quebec began to circulate, explains the 73-year-old priest. History, he laughs, to refresh his memory! »
The cardinal—or “Gerald,” as his friend André calls him—finally honored his promise.
From the bar to the altar
It was, for Father Morency, the high point of a religious vocation which took many detours before being confirmed.
A barkeeper in Shawinigan-Sud, once engaged, André Morency had only distant religious dispositions. “When a guy came to sit on the other side of the counter to tell his story, I was sure to listen to him, he recalls. That’s kind of what I still do, at the Fraternity! »
It was a poster pinned to a bulletin board at a credit union that ignited the spark in him. Then, shortly after, a bankruptcy accelerated his thinking. “I had seen a to post which showed a white father in Africa. I told myself that I would like that, too, going to work there,” recalls Mr. Morency. Six months later, his business went bankrupt. And “it was not a profitable bankruptcy”, he specifies.
The trader saw the signal that it was time to change course and take the gospel course. At 33, he entered the community – and calmed down his Saturday evenings in stride. “I loved him, my life before. I now had to go to bed early because the Sunday prayer started at dawn! he says, a nostalgic smile on his face.
At 40, he became a priest; at 43, he founded the Saint-Alphonse Fraternity. Since then, he has dedicated himself to caring for the soul in pain of survivors.
In his mind, François’ visit confirmed the validity of the work to which he devoted most of his adult life. “When I saw him get out of his car to come meet me, my heart filled and my eyes filled with water,” explains Father André. Winks like that can last a long time. »