Hearts all throughout the world were moved by a single, silent act of love that transcended the seriousness of Vatican tradition.
As thousands of people gathered at St Peter’s Basilica on April 23 to say goodbye to Pope Francis, one person crossed the queue.
Neither a politician nor a dignitary was she. Sister Geneviève Jeanningros, 81, was a nun, and her purpose was not merely to honour her.
Sister Jeanningros’s picture of herself standing quietly next to the Pope’s coffin with a green rucksack slung over one shoulder and tears in her eyes went viral very fast. She stayed—breaking formation, but not faith—while clergy and mourners adhered to rigid Vatican etiquette.
Compassionate friendship
Pope Francis, whose real name was Jorge Mario Bergoglio, passed away after a stroke on Easter Monday, April 21, at the age of 88, according to the Vatican.
His casket was visited by over 48,000 people in a single day. Sister Jeanningros had a greater impact than any other, though.
She may not be well-known, but she has a close relationship with the late pope. When Francis was the Archbishop of Buenos Aires more than forty years ago, the two first met.
Genevieve Jeanningros, la monja amiga del Papa, llora ante su féretro https://t.co/A1AJ2oFYKi pic.twitter.com/rviK1UGY40
— Europa Press TV (@europapress_tv) April 23, 2025
Serving society’s forgotten—homeless people, transgender people, circus performers, and the terminally ill—was the focus of both. Their friendship, which was based on respect and common ideals, persisted even after Bergoglio was appointed head of the Catholic Church.
One person commented, “That’s real pain,” after watching the video of Sister Jeanningros sobbing silently next to the coffin. “This is a historic occasion.”
occupies a small caravan.
Sister Jeanningros, a member of the Little Sisters of Jesus order, was born in France but grew up in Argentina. The organisation is renowned for its ability to live and work in underprivileged populations. She and another nun, Sister Anna Amelia Giachetto, have been serving the social misfits in a small caravan on the outskirts of Rome for many years.
Occasionally, she would bring people from the streets to meet Pope Francis on her weekly Wednesday visits. Never one to stand on formalities, the Pope always greeted them. He frequently invited them to join him for lunch.
Loss was nothing new to her, either. In the midst of the Dirty War, Argentina’s military dictatorship kidnapped and murdered her aunt, a French nun named Leonie Duquet.
As the son of Italian immigrants in Argentina, Pope Francis sympathised with her sorrow and supported her during it.
Preference for love above etiquette
When Sister Jeanningros approached the casket out of line, many originally thought she had violated Vatican procedure. Actually, she had received special authorisation in secret, which is a unique honour bestowed not on heads of state or cardinals but on someone whose relationship with the Pope went beyond status.
She can be seen in pictures amidst the crowds, modestly dressed in a rucksack and basic clothing. However, in that instant next to the casket, she stood for something significant: a life of silent commitment, a friendship based on purpose rather than politics.
The Pope and Sister Jeanningros are seen grinning and beaming together in one moving picture from an outdoor gathering. In another, they bless a monument at a festival with a circus theme. They both adore the circus and think it has the ability to inspire people.
This week was not her typical last trip to the Vatican. This was a farewell.
showed itself to be distinct
“Like she did every other Wednesday, she went up to her friend,” one person thought. However, this interaction turned out to be unique. In the hopes of seeing him again in eternal life, she came to say farewell.
In a Church that was frequently criticised for its inflexibility, Sister Jeanningros and Pope Francis represented something more humane: compassion, inclusivity, and practical service. There was no need for her farewell to be ostentatious. It was silent, unvarnished, and incredibly human, much like the man she had come to grieve.
Furthermore, since her photograph keeps going viral online, it’s evident that sometimes the most impactful eulogies aren’t spoken but rather conveyed by presence.
Na audiência hoje com #PapaFrancisco, da União Nacional de Atrações Itinerantes, estava Ir. Genevieve Jeanningros: ela comemorou junto com o #Pontífice seus 80 anos, cerca de 50 deles vividos dentro de um parque de diversões no litoral romano, onde leva adiante a sua missão #UNAV pic.twitter.com/skKrLSO58y
— Vatican News (@vaticannews_pt) March 20, 2023
