After my disappointment at not seeing the pope close up last night, my friend Pope Francis texted me saying that he’ll have a few minutes and told me to go and meet him on the streets of Rio. Ok … Maybe not. But I did run into a barricade on a street I was trying to cross when he drove right past, and waved at me (or in my direction).

Shortly after seeing the pope, I ran into a friend of mine from Catholic University of America, who is a Conventual Franciscan. Friar Emanuel gave me a tour of the Franciscan space, a collaborative project of all the Franciscans to host a site for WYD pilgrims to experience the brothers. I got to meet so many Franciscans! I even got a small gift from the minister general, the worldwide head of the Franciscan Order!