ATLANTA/ROME — Former Atlanta Mayor and U.S. Ambassador Andrew Young just returned from what he calls the visit of a lifetime.
Young shared the details of his visit with Pope Leo XIV, the first American Pope, exclusively with Channel 2’s Karyn Greer.
The longtime civil rights advocate and Atlanta leader told Greer was a moment he’ll never forget.
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“I’d been to Rome, to the Vatican a couple of times before with other popes and with Dr. King and with Mrs. King,” Young said.
Outside the Vatican, a moment rich with symbolism, Young met with Pope Leo.
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“I didn’t know this pope, and everything I know about him is good and I jumped at an opportunity to meet him and meet with him,” Young said.
Young said when he met the Pope, he got to the Vatican at about 8 a.m. and as they got there, the weather changed.
“We walked to the Vatican at eight o’clock in the morning, and just as we got up on the stage where the Pope sits, there was a thunderstorm,” Young told Channel 2 Action News, laughing. “It was like God was saying ‘oh sinner why are you here?’”
The meeting between a towering figure in the civil rights movement and a global religious leader shows Atlanta’s continued influence on the world stage, bridging history with present day diplomacy.
“I count it as one of the many spiritual experiences of my life. It was more spiritual than personal,” Young said. “All I could get out was to thank him for praying for our country, and if ever we needed prayer before, we sure do need it now.”
Young flew to Rome with his son Bo, taking the 10-hour flight last Monday and flying back Thursday.
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