On the way to his third and last mass in Chile, before travelling to Peru for another four-day pastoral trip, Francis became the first Pope in history to marry a couple mid-flight.
They had a civil ceremony in early 2010, but the religious service was scheduled on 27 February, when an 8.8 earthquake hit Chile.
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As the church they had chosen collapsed, the wedding could not take place and it was postponed indefinitely.
They asked Francis if he could finally marry them and bless their union, which the Pope accepted.
The Pope asked them if they were sure about their decision and Latam’s CEO, Ignacio Cueto, stepped up as witness.
?Paula Podest ?? y Carlos Ciuffardi ?? contrajeron matrimonio en pleno vuelo hacia #Iquique. ¡Agradecemos a @Pontifex_es por realizar por primera vez un matrimonio a bordo! #ElVueloDeFrancisco #FranciscoEnChile pic.twitter.com/v4ClkRkMGJ
— LATAM Chile (@LATAM_CHI) 18 de enero de 2018
The happy couple, Paula Podest and Carlos Ciuffardi, said to be “happy” and that they intend to spend the rest of their lives together. “That’s what we expect”, Podest added.
Francis ordered a marriage certificate to be written. As wedding gifts, he gave a black rosary to the groom and a white one to the bride.
Esta es el acta de matrimonio que el Papa Francisco hizo redactar en vuelo luego de casar a Paola Podest y Carlos Ciuffardi ??????✈️??@CNNChile pic.twitter.com/B4uuOUOCT3
— Matilde Burgos (@matiburgos) 18 de enero de 2018