“He is not just a Pope, he is a dad.” These words were said by Laura, a very lucky woman who lives in Italy. Why Laura is so lucky? Because she had the privilege and honor to be married by Pope Francis.
Laura and Marco met for the first time two years ago during a friend’s wedding. “We had seen each other … but we didn’t talk. A few days later, Laura found me on Facebook and we started talking; I asked her for a date and we got along wonderfully and decided after a month of dating to live together. That following summer, I asked her to marry me.” This was clearly true love.
Marco is a dancer, who just returned from Paris, where he works. Laura is an event planner living in Rome. Having to decide which wonderful city to make their home, Marco made it easy and moved in with Laura. They decided to get married on December 6, 2014, when their priest informed the young couple about a letter from the Vatican.
“The Vatican sent a letter to all the Roman parishes offering the chance to 20 couples to get married in Saint Peter Cathedral by Pope Francis. Of course we sent our reply back! We waited for an answer for two weeks—very long days. And then one day, the big news: We were one of the lucky 20 couples.”
This meant they had to change everything, the new wedding date was September 14th and since Laura is an event planner, she had already planned every little detail. “We were lucky again, because Villa Miano, the place we booked for the wedding reception, was also available for the new date. We were so excited, we spent months thinking about how it would be getting married in Saint Peter, by the Pope!”
“We remember every detail about that day; we had to be at Saint Peter’s by 8am, the weather was great and sunny. We were interviewed by many international media outlets; it was a very invigorating day.”
September 14th will always be an unforgettable day for Laura and Marco. Pope Francis is one of the most loved people in the world, his words are wise and full of love. Everyone agrees that he has a beautiful personality and a good heart, everybody loves him, from Christians to Atheist.
Laura and Marco both agreed that “Pope Francis is not just the Pope, he is a dad. He is extremely charismatic and empathetic, his words literally enters into people’s heart. He is a person who is renewing the Church, we follow him every day. Pope Francis is humble, intelligent and he doesn’t teach you how to live your life, rather he shows you the good in life and helps you to make the right decisions and to follow your heart. He was so nice to us; we met him on the wedding day. While he wore sumptuous clothes, but he is the most simple person in the world. He shook our hands and wished us the very best for our new life together. We will never forget that moment.”
While we live in a world that is constantly changing, some people seem to forget the sacredness of weddings, the beautiful and important feelings of love, and the real meaning of choosing somebody for the rest of your life. “Today almost everything seems superficial. Some young people don’t seem to want to take their responsibilities seriously and are not prepared to endure sacrifices. Marriage comes from an idea that you work on daily and it is up to us to keep this idea alive daily and the rest of our lives, together. We should fall in love with our husband/wife every day”.
We need more people like Marco and Laura! And we need a leader like Pope Francis. Falling in love is the most beautiful thing that can happen in your life. A marriage in the name of God and of true love, it’s the key to a happy healthy life. We need more genuine feelings and values.
“Love is the engine of life and marriage is the machine that is oiled by love. We went up on this machine with all the enthusiasm and desire to go a long way together.” – Marco & Laura