Pope Francis’ Funeral: American Journalist Kielce Gussie Gives the First Reading at Service in St. Peter’s Square

An American journalist is making headlines after being chosen to speak at Pope Francis’ funeral.

Kielce Gussie gave the first reading at the funeral Mass held for Francis at St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City on Saturday, April 26, following his death on Monday, April 21.

She read a passage from the Acts of the Apostles, the fifth book of the New Testament, telling the story of the founding of the church. The 28-year-old is a journalist for the Vatican’s news service and has lived in Rome since 2019, CBS News reported.

Gussie learned she would be part of the funeral just three days before the service, on Wednesday, April 23, Inside Edition‘s Deborah Norville shared on her Instagram. Gussie is from Florida and moved to Maryland to attend college before relocating to Rome, according to Norville.

Sharing her reaction to speaking at the Mass, Gussie said, “My initial thought was ‘Oh my god’ but then, after I thought ‘this is such a huge honor,’ to be a part of this momentous occasion. Also, for me, it’s such a big way to say thank you to Pope Francis,” according to CBS News.

Gussie joined the Vatican just seven months before Francis died, according to her LinkedIn page.

She is a devout Catholic and has met the pope twice, including one time on her birthday in a special personal encounter which remains a fond memory of hers, CBS News reported.

“I didn’t see him as the head of the Catholic Church, I saw him as a grandfather,” Gussie told CBS. “And so for me, I will remember him as someone who really cared for each person that he met.”

Gussie previously worked as a journalist for Rome Reports TV News Agency for two years and as a production assistant at EWTN a year prior, in 2020.

Before moving to Rome, she attended Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, Md., where she earned a bachelor of arts in theology.

Some 250,000 people came to Rome to show their respects at Francis’ funeral, including dignitaries such as President Donald Trump, Joe and Jill Biden and Prince William.

According to the Vatican, Francis died of a cerebral stroke that caused a coma and irreversible cardiocirculatory collapse.