Died in Paris 25 years ago, on August 31, 1997, Princess Diana, also known as Lady Di, had faithfully kept a rosary that Saint Teresa of Calcutta had given to Lady, and was given by her. body placed in the coffin of the princess.
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At first glance, nothing could herald a close friendship between the Princess of Wales and the Saintess of Calcutta, but in reality the two women were bound together by a bond of mutual concern for those of the same. suffering. Hearing the news of Lady Di's death, Mother Teresa sent her condolences, and said of Diana: "She really cared for the poor. She really wanted to do something for them and it was so beautiful. So she's really close to me."
The nun died a few days later, on September 5,997. Two months ago, in June 1997, the two met in New York.
According to The Independent, Diana and Mother Teresa "walked, hand in hand, on the streets of the Bronx, New York City... They put their arms around each other, hugged and prayed together for about 40 minutes. On this occasion. Mother Teresa blessed the princess."
Did Mother Teresa know that the rosary she gave Lady Di accompanied the princess to her final resting place?
The hours after the princess's death were detailed in the Daily Mail:
On the night of August 30-31, 1997, when Diana's butler Paul Burrell from Kensington Palace, London, received news of the princess's tragic death, he was ordered to bring all the items that Diana loved most. to the hospital La Pitié-Salpêtrière in Paris, where the princess was taken. Heartbroken, he went into Lady Di's apartment, "looked at the princess's desk with a pen and a bottle of ink on it, next to a sheet of paper with a list of words used to improve vocabulary. Lady's vocabulary. He quickly took a rosary - which Mother Teresa gave to the princess, hung on a statue of the Virgin Mary - and put it in his pocket."
Upon arrival at the hospital, it was Colin Tebbutt, Diana's personal chauffeur, who gave the rosary to a nurse who told her to put it in the princess's hands. Also placed in her coffin was a photograph of her two sons, which the princess kept in her purse.
PRESIDENT CHALLENGE OF HOSPITAL
Urgently called to the hospital La Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, Father Yves-Marie Clochard Bossuet, as a chaplain on the night of August 31, 1997, stayed awake for eight hours next to Lady Di's body.
This year 73 years old, Father Bossuet parish priest of Notre-Dame des Foyers in Paris, France, confided with Aleteia about the divine graces bestowed that night.
Receiving a call at 2 a.m. on August 31, 1997, Yves-Marie Clochard Bossuet's father at first thought it was a joke. But the hospital officer kept calling, pleading, and eventually gave him the identity of the person he was invited to: Lady Diana, Princess of Wales, taken to La Pitié-Salpêtrière hospital in a state of emergency. in very serious condition, after a car accident in the tunnel under the Alma bridge, Paris.
Ordained a priest two years ago at the age of 44, after having worked for Air France and the Ministry of Tourism, Father Yves-Marie Clochard Bossuet - who was about to finish his internship at La Pitié-Salpêtrière hospital - asked to be on duty. that weekend in place of the official chaplain. He did not expect to have to go through such a tumultuous night.
At the hospital at 3:30 on Sunday, August 31, he was welcomed by two important people: Mr. Jean-Pierre Chevènement - French Interior Minister, and Mr. Michael Jay - British Ambassador to France.
After many unsuccessful surgeries, Princess Diana died at 4am. Moments later, the Catholic priest was ushered into the funeral parlor, where Lady Di's body was covered with a cloth. The British ambassador suggested that Father Yves-Marie Clochard Bossuet pray and watch before the princess until an Anglican priest is found.
Aleteia: When you entered the room with the Princess of Wales, what was on your mind?
Father Yves-Marie Clochard Bossuet: Whether you're a princess of Wales or not, it's the same for me! I'm not a huge fan of the royals, and I don't understand what craze for them means. Besides, I don't feel Lady Di in my soul either. I consider her manners unbecoming, and as the mother of the future king of England, she should have been more private about her private life. But when I was alone in that room, the first thing that came to my mind was about her two children - two children whose mother was about to be told of the tragic death of her mother.
What happened after that?
What a lesson for me! Little did I know that Providence would require me not to judge others. The thing is, as a coincidence, about 15 days before that accident, I read an article in Le Monde about the Princess of Wales, an article in her defense, that made me open up. But then I forgot about it. That night, Providence invited me to recall that article about the tolerant character of the princess, who opened her heart to listen to others. Qualities that I did not expect to have in her. Thanks to that I have something to say to the Lord! In just one night, by divine grace, I was able to sincerely pray for her. The profound lesson I learned from that was that I must not judge her, even though she lived in a world other than mine: "In one night, by divine grace, I had can sincerely pray for her."
A few days later, I had a meeting with Lady Di's mother, who had converted to Catholicism. She was moved to learn that a Catholic priest was with her daughter during the last hour. She told me about her daughter's closeness to Mother Teresa. Lady Di and Mother Teresa met in New York shortly before their respective deaths, five days apart.
Having worked with Mother Teresa for a month in New York, I know her very well, and Diana's mother is very appreciative of Mother Teresa's care for her daughter. A destined relationship! I am sure that Mother Teresa interceded for Princess Diana..