From the archives: Local farmer reflects on meeting Pope John Paul II in 1979
Massive crowds turned out for Pope Francis’ historic U.S. tour in 2015, with a group of Iowa Catholics traveling on Wednesday to Washington, D.C. for the pope’s arrival ceremony.
“People were just so excited,” said Tom Chapman, executive director at Iowa Catholic Conference. “Some people were weeping. It’s a very emotional moment for a lot of people who see the pope, including myself. It’s a very spiritual experience because I’ve been a member of the church for a long time.”
Pope Francis’ trip spurred another Iowan to dust off the old papers and reflect on a previous papal visit.
Farmer Joseph Hayes’ letter – handwritten from his Madison County property – helped persuade then-Pope John Paul II to come to Iowa in 1979, drawing a crowd of more than 350,000 to Living History Farms.
“He came here for the beauty of the country, and the beauty of the land,” Hayes said. “The importance of what we are as farmers to take care of God’s gift to us. That’s what John Paul did.”
Hayes said he will never forget meeting the pope.
“He says to me, ‘Ah, yes. The farmer. We are all farmers.’ Immediately, my brain goes click, click, click. We’re not talking about farm ground. It’s about mankind in general,” Hayes said.
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