Holy Communion

When Emanuel Pires received several frantic phone messages from his editor, he thought he had missed a deadline. Instead, the 22-year-old architecture student and volunteer reporter for The Catholic Register learned he would be one of 14 World Youth Day pilgrims to lunch with the Pope. “You can tell the Pope is in his 80s, but because he shows his frailty, he shows his strength,” Pires says, adding that the experience has reaffirmed his faith. On the lunch menu? Spaghetti, asparagus and coleslaw. And sinful chocolate cake for dessert.