Msgr. George Koovakad was a student at Sedes Sapientiae between 1999 and 2004. He later joined the Diplomatic Service of the Holy See, and in September 2021 he was appointed head of the Pope's apostolic journeys. He spoke to us about the various dimensions of this task, as well as various anecdotes that occurred in the context of these journeys in an interesting talk, which allowed us to learn about these events from an unprecedented perspective.
The papal visit to a country is very important, to the point of being historic, for the life of the local Church and also of that nation. While Mgr George spoke to us about the complex task of preparing for these trips, it was also clear that Francis' great pastoral heart and his desire to be and always be close to the people, particularly those most in need, is evident. In the same vein, it is noteworthy that the Holy Father always spends a great deal of time in prayer before making his choices and also when making his apostolic visits.