What Would You Say During A Dinner With The Pope?

Fifth and sixth graders in Paige James’ English class at St. Benedict Cathedral School were asked to write essays with the topic “If you were to have dinner with Pope Francis during his visit to the U.S., what would you want to talk to him about and why?

Here are their responses.

• When I have the honor to eat with Pope Francis, I would surely have some questions for him. For example, I would ask him about the first time he gave to a charity. Next, I would ask him about how he would want the world to look after he was pope. Cullen Feldhaus

• If I was going to have dinner with the pope I would first compliment him on his good job as pope. A Pope should be kind, caring and understanding. Pope Francis is all of those. Then I would ask him, “How was God made?” because my teachers just tell me that God was just there. Finally, I would tell him my grandpa’s name was Francis too and thank him for eating with me. Samuel Goedde

• If I were to have dinner with the Pope I would ask him how many languages he speaks and hopefully he would say he speaks two or more. I would also ask him why he wanted to be the pope. After we finish dinner, I would ask him what his favorite board game is and then we would play it. Then, we would just talk and tell each other about ourselves. I would ask him what his favorite animal is. He might like hamsters, birds, dogs and cats. Finally, I would ask him how many countries he has been to. That is what I would ask the pope if I had dinner with him. Meredith Matzen

• If I had dinner with the pope I would be excited. We would eat pasta with sauce, bread and water to drink. I would ask him what it is like in Rome and what he does on his free time or if he even has free time. One question I would ask him is what makes a good pope. I know a good pope gives back to the community and cares about the homeless. After we eat I would ask him what his favorite color, food and favorite place to eat was. That is what I would do if I had dinner with the Pope. Julianna Korba

• If I was going to dinner with the pope I would be very nervous. I would ask him questions about our faith like, “How do we give everything to the poor?” I would support any of his ideas about giving food and supplies to the poor. I would try not to ask too many questions about the church and our faith, but I would try to get as much information as I can.  That’s what I would do if I had dinner with Pope Francis. Kyle Echert

• If I had dinner with the pope, I would ask him about his everyday life, because I know absolutely nothing about what he does. I would also ask what he did in his free time, like who is his favorite basketball team. One of the main things I would talk about is Rome. I would love to go there, and hopefully go to the Vatican. Finally, I would ask him if he was afraid to do anything that God asks of him, like if he was told to go to a very hostile country, would he do it. It would be an honor if I could go to dinner with the pope, and who knows, one day I might. Maybe I could go on his birthday. Matthew Hudson

• Can you imagine what dinner with the pope would be like? What I think makes a good pope is someone who does not use his “pope powers” to live in a mansion or turn his pope mobile into a Ferrari. That’s what I like about Pope Francis. He lives in an apartment and cooks his own meals. I do not understand many things about our faith. One of the things I do not understand is God’s teachings in the Old Testament. Even when someone tells me what it means I still don’t understand half of God’s teachings. That’s what I would talk about if I had dinner with the Pope. Nathan Hendrix