Getting married by the Pope on an airplane? This is pretty hard to top.
This morning, Pope Francis was on a short flight over Chile from Santiago to Iquique. Two staff members working on the plane, Paula Podest Ruiz and Carlos Ciuffardi Ellorriaga, started chatting with the pope as they were taking a group picture.
When Pope Francis asked if the couple was married, they explained that their wedding was canceled because of an earthquake that destroyed their church in 2010 where they were planning on getting married. The two eventually had a civil marriage and went on to have 2 children. They just never had a formal wedding in a church.
That's when Pope Francis asked the couple if they wanted to get married... NOW. He asked, "Are you sure?" and then proceeded to carry out the rights.
He blessed their rings and got the CEO of the airline who happened to be flying with them to be their witness. He then had some of the cardinals to handwrite a wedding certificate. All witnesses went on to sign the document and it was a done deal!
He finished the ceremony by giving the couple a rosary and then asked the groom if his wife was still the boss in the relationship. Ciuffardi replied, "Yes, she is."
The couple plans on having a mini honeymoon after they get home on Friday.