In the days following Pope Francis’ death, one moment captured the heartbreak of millions around the world: a lone nun, clutching a tissue, stepping quietly past

Vatican protocol to grieve by his coffin. That woman was Sister Geneviève Jeanningros, and now she’s shared the story behind that powerful scene.

Sister Geneviève wasn’t just another mourner. She had known Francis personally, long before he became pope. Their friendship began in 2005 when she traveled to Buenos Aires to arrange the reburial of her aunt,

Leonie Duquet — a fellow nun who had disappeared during Argentina’s dark years of dictatorship. Then-Archbishop Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who would one day be known as Pope Francis, supported her during that painful time. From that shared moment of loss and hope, a bond formed that would last nearly two decades. Read more below