The Pope reached out to the expat child and touched him.
Published: Mon 4 Feb 2019, 11:00 PM
Last updated: Thu 7 Feb 2019, 7:54 PM
Tuesday, February 5, marked a historic day for the UAE as it hosted the first visit from the head of a Catholic Church to the Arabian Peninsula. But it was a day that will forever be etched in French expatriate Cyprien Flour's memory too. Despite being just 5-years-old, he was one of the few among the faithful to be personally blessed by Pope Francis at the Papal mass in Abu Dhabi.
Born on June 23, 2013, just months after Pope Francis was elected head of the Catholic Church, Cyprien's father, Jean-Baptiste, said Tuesday's experience was "a moment that was meant to be".
As Pope Francis drove alongside the 50,000-strong crowd inside Zayed Sports Stadium in his Pope mobile, Jean-Baptiste told Khaleej Times his instinct to call out "papa, papa" was rewarded in ways he never expected.
"The Pope caught my eye, saw me holding Cyprien and reached out to him and touched him on his head. He really connected, took his time. It was such a special and humble moment for my family."
Currently, Cyprien is the youngest mass servant at the St Francis Parish in Dubai.
Living in Dubai for three years, Jean-Baptiste and his wife, Sixtine, were both born during the time when Pope John Paul II was head of the Catholic Church. And as children, they got the chance to see him during papal masses in France (Lourdes) and Roma.
Since then, with children of their own, they have witnessed a glimpse of the two popes that followed John Paul II, including Pope Benedict XVI in Germany and now Pope Francis in the UAE.
"To be able to bring our children to an occasion like this, one so important, is a blessing for us. They may be young and may not fully understand the meaning behind it, but when they are older they will," Sixtine told Khaleej Times.
After setting out from Dubai at 4am on Tuesday morning, neither Jean-Baptiste or Sixtine had any idea of what was to transpire in the hours after. But they said following the unique experience and close encounter with the Pope, they hope it brings their young boy "many blessings".
Speaking at the end of the mass, the family said having the opportunity to attend the mass was - as a family deeply steeped in the Catholic faith - an honour.
But humorously, when young Cyprien spoke about his encounter with His Holiness following the blessing to his father, he didn't quite grasp the enormity of the moment; which as a five-year-old is expected.
"He probably wasn't aware of how important the moment was, because after it happened he said 'But daddy, I get blessed by the priest at church every Saturday."
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