Four nursing brothers who have treated coronavirus patients met Pope Francis

Four adult siblings, all nurses who worked with coronavirus patients during the worst pandemic, will meet Pope Francis, along with their families on Friday.

The invitation for the private audience was extended after Pope Francis called the two brothers and two sisters, who worked on the front line against COVID-19 in Italy and Switzerland.

"The pontiff wants to embrace us all," Raffaele Mautone, the elder brother, told the Swiss newspaper La Regione.

The 13 family members will present Pope Francis with a box full of letters and writings from some of those who have been directly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic: the sick, health workers and those mourning the death of a loved one.

A brother, Valerio, 43, is traveling on foot to the papal audience. In five days, he is traveling about 50 miles of the ancient pilgrimage route of the Via Francigena, from Viterbo to Rome, to arrive at their meeting on September 4 with Pope Francis.

His sister Maria, 36, asked for prayers on Facebook for "our pilgrim", who he said is making the pilgrimage for their family and for all the nurses and the sick in the world.

After revealing that she would meet the pope, Maria wrote on Facebook that she is "very happy" to bring someone's letter to Francis. “You don't have to be ashamed or apologetic… Thank you for exposing your fears, thoughts, worries,” he said.

The family of nurses began receiving local media attention during the blockade imposed by the Italian government, when the coronavirus epidemic was at its worst.

The father was also a nurse for 40 years and three of their spouses also work as nurses. “It is the profession we love. Today even more ”, Raffaele told the Como newspaper La Provincia in April.

The family is from Naples, where a sister, Stefania, 38, still lives.

Raffaele, 46, lives in Como, but works in an Italian-speaking part of southern Switzerland, in the city of Lugano. His wife is also a nurse and they have three children.

Valerio and Maria both live and work in Como, not far from the Italian-Swiss border.

Stefania told Città Nuova magazine that at the beginning of the pandemic she was tempted to stay home because she has a daughter. “But after a week I said to myself: 'But what will I tell my daughter one day? That I ran away? I trusted in God and I started “.

"Rediscovering humanity is the only cure," she said, noting that she and other nurses helped patients make video calls as relatives were not allowed to visit and, when she could, she sang classic Neapolitan songs or "Ave Maria ”By Schubert to provide some cheer.

“So I keep them happy with a little lightness,” he noted.

Maria works in a general surgery ward that has been converted into a subintensive care unit for COVID-19 patients. “I saw hell with my own eyes and I wasn't used to seeing all these dead,” she told New Town. "The only way to be close to the sick is with a touch."

Raffaele said he was inspired by his fellow nurses, who spent hours holding patients' hands, being with them in silence or listening to their stories.

“We have to change course both towards people and towards nature. This virus has taught us this and our love must be even more contagious, ”he said.

He told La Provincia April that he was proud "of the commitment of his brothers, at the forefront during these weeks"