MIAMI – An American Airlines flight attendant based in Miami spoke with Local 10 News about his experience traveling with Pope Francis in the United States and on the flight back to Rome.
Christian Marin told Local 10's Amy Viteri he got a call asking if he would be willing to do something special for the company, but he never imagined the assignment would be traveling with the pope.
"I do not know how this happened," he said. "I just feel blessed."
The veteran international flight attendant has been with the company for 18 years and said he still doesn't know how he was selected to be part of the crew that would fly on the plane with the pontiff and use the call sign Shepherd One. He said he was instructed to keep the assignment a secret.
The plane took the pope from Joint Base Andrews near Washington to New York. Then it went on to Philadelphia and finally Rome. The trip coincided with Marin's birthday, and he took the opportunity to gift Pope Francis a box of alfajores, a treat from the pope's native Argentina.
"He loves sweets. Alfajores is one of his favorite things," Marin explained. "Somebody asked him if you like to eat, and he said, 'Well, look at me.'"
Marin, originally from Colombia, said this pope, the first from South America, is special to him. He said the pontiff's message has a universal appeal.
"Believers, non-believers, everybody loves him," Marin said. "Everybody feels his presence."
Marin kept a copy of the special menu from Shepherd One, printed in English and Italian with a list of each crew member's name. He brought a Bible along for the Pope to bless and received a small gold cross, also blessed, which he pinned to his lapel.
Marin said as the trip came to a close, he knelt beside the pope and took his hands to say goodbye. "How honored I was to be able to fly with him, and he was looking at me with penetrating eyes, and he blessed me again," Marin said.
Marin said Francis took time to meet with the entire crew individually and blessed each of them during his travels.
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Local 10 News waits for the popemobil in Philadelphia, Sunday.