Scottish Catholic Observer

As the Vicar of Christ, Pope Benedict XVI can expect to receive many special requests and letters. Few will be as personal, however, as a parcel he will soon receive from young pupils at an East Kilbride primary school thanking him for the time he recently spent in Scotland.

As Pope Benedict departed from the altar following the Bellahouston Park Mass on September 16 he took time to bless young Anton McManus, a primary four pupil at St Vincent’s East Kilbride.

The nine-year-old had written to the Holy Father ahead of his visit asking for a special blessing to help him in his recovery from cancer.

“If anybody can help me God can,” young Anton had written, and the youngster was overjoyed to get a response from the Vatican days before the Holy Father’s arrival learning that his wish to be blessed by the Pope would be realised.

So touched were the staff and fellow pupils at Anton’s school that they all decided to write their own letters thanking the Holy Father for his kindness.

“The children were all thrilled,” Eileen Tompkins, St Vincent’s acting headteacher said.

“The purpose of the letters is to let them know that we are delighted to receive the Holy Father but it is also important to give thanks.”

The St Vincent’s pupils have been writing letters to the Holy Father telling them about their school, their families and what parts of the Papal visit they enjoyed the most.

Many pupils chose to include a drawing for the Pope to remind him of his trip to Scotland, with the majority of the children opting to draw the Pope processing in his iconic Popemobile – a vehicle that mightily impressed many members of the class.

Young Anton included his own letter of thanks to the Holy Father and spoke of his delight in receiving a blessing.

“The Pope came over and blessed me and then I think he said something in German,” Anton recalled from the moment he met the Holy Father.

All the pupils in the class commented on how much they enjoyed the Papal visit, including the Big Assembly at Twickenham, an event which they all watched together in school the day after the Pope’s visit to Scotland.

Perhaps the feeling of the class was best summed up by one of the girls, who took time out of writing her letter to explain how the Papal visit made her feel.

“When I saw the Pope coming off the plane to Scotland it made me feel all warm inside,” she said.