Yes, the Pontiff has graciously moved on… as expected his last philanthropic gesture was grist to the mill. And as I muse on the might be the floodgates of memories are thrown wide open.
Cut back to 2003 and I introspect for the first time – and I am struck by the fact that Cardinal Ferrao and I have traversed parallel paths over the last 22 years – as he accepted the mantle of Archbishop Patriarch almost on the same day that I catapulted myself into the Ferrao household – our journeys intertwined from that day with one man – his godson and my husband – enabling bonds to hold the family together.
The road ahead from 2003 till date has been fraught with a wealth of experiences and emotions – and I spent many close moments with two men which made an indelible impression on me and shaped my life as it were.
As different as Eric and Filipe Neri Ferrao were in outlook and profession, certain outstanding qualities made them twins separated by age which only the proximity of association made observable – the single-minded focus, the fierce love of home and family, the forceful dedication to the “work hard play hard” motto and of course the irascible wit.
Thankfully, genes don’t lie and Eric’s sons carry these traits to steer themselves along life’s stormy path. While I’m a diehard fan of technology in genetics to cure the world of its ills, I definitely wouldn’t want to see CRISPR become so popular and affordable that we lose out on inherent familial attributes which might be our greatest legacy to the generations ahead.
On this sombre note, I perk up and raise my glass of feni to the glorious future of the contemporary Catholic Church. And wind up with the words of the protagonist of The Alchemist -- “and when you want something all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”
