Pope Francis' visit to Sao Jose dos Campos/SP

Papa Francisco chega a São José dos Campos/SP

It was a cold and rainy morning on July 24, 2013, just 4 months after the beginning of his Pontificate, when Pope Francis briefly visited São José dos Campos. He set foot on São José dos Campos soil at 9:37 a.m. It was only supposed to be a technical stopover to change aircraft, but he got off the Embraer FAB2590 VC-2 E190E1 coming from Rio de Janeiro, greeted local authorities, including Mayor Carlinhos Almeida and DCTA Commander Air Force Lieutenant-Brigadier Ailton dos Santos Pohlmann, and waved to those present before boarding a FAB helicopter bound for Aparecida to celebrate mass.

Francisco returned to the city at 16:18 for a new change of aircraft, but this time he went to meet the people who were outside the DCTA aircraft yard, where he broke protocol and greeted everyone, posed for some photos and felt the warmth and welcome of the Brazilian people, before boarding the E190 VC-2 again to Rio de Janeiro, under a light rain.

As a photojournalist, I have had many opportunities to capture memorable moments in history. One of these moments was one of the most unforgettable in my professional and personal career, due to the importance of this man to humanity.

Here is my record of this historic moment. Rest in peace, dear Pope Francis.