Birthday party at Synod for Inés, daughter of a synodal father

By Salvatore Cernuzio 

“Happy Birthday to you! Happy birthday to you, little one!”  rang out in the Synod Hall in the Vatican on Thursday morning, during a coffee break. First came the sound of applause, and then a chorus initiated by Pope Francis as 10-year-old Inés entered the room.

“This week we have often highlighted the importance of family, and today we celebrate because one of our members, José Manuel de Urquidi, is here with his wife and daughter, whose 10th birthday is today. Come here and meet the Holy Father,” said Mario Grech, Secretary General of the Synod announcing her arrival.

The birthday girl then embraced her mother, Ana Cecilia and father, Jose Manuel, a former financial lawyer and restaurateur who became a digital missionary to “answer the call of Christ,” as he writes on his social media profiles. Since last year, he has been a delegate of CELAM (the Episcopal Conference of Latin America) to the General Assembly of the Synod, where he contributes his experience as a digital evangelist and Catholic content creator in the US and Latin America.

Meeting the Pope

For the past week in Rome, while her two younger brothers, Javier and Marcelo, were with their grandmother back home in Dallas, Inés had one wish for her 10th birthday -  to be able to see the Hall where her father has been at work since October 2 with representatives from the world’s Churches. She got her wish, and on top of it all was able to meet the Pope in person, who had sent her birthday wishes last year in a short video.

“What a beautiful family,” the Pope exclaimed when the three of them came up to him. “I am so happy to see you.”

To Inés, after exchanging a handshake and greetings, he said, “Thank you for lending your daddy to the Church.”

Birthday gifts

Then, the Holy Father and the child exchanged presents. Pope Francis gave Inés a wooden box of alfajores from Cordóba, traditional Argentine cookies stuffed with dulce de leche.

“Eat them together, not all by yourself or else you’ll fill your belly,” the Pope joked to the family.

Inés gave him letters and drawings from her classmates at All Saints Catholic School in the Diocese of Dallas. The notes contained greetings, declarations of affection, and compliments — “You work very hard and are a fantastic Pope,” one child wrote.

Another used the opportunity to ask him some pressing questions, such as little Preston. On a page next to a drawing of Pope Francis playing soccer, the boy wrote: “Do you like being a Pope?”

Pope Francis smiled at the gifts and gave his blessing to the family, in particular, to Inés. So, too, did all the other Synod participants, who came up in large numbers to wish her a happy birthday.