Spanish nurse gives Pope a book on her brother: 'His life had meaning because of love'

Until the very last moment, Elisabet Argemí did not know whether she would have the opportunity to speak with Pope Leo XIV.

On Tuesday, August 18, in Castel Gandolfo, as the Pope was leaving the Apostolic Palace to return to the Vatican, the unexpected happened: the Pope’s vehicle stopped, he lowered the window and addressed her, saying “Tell me, tell me.”

Elisabet, a nurse at ICOF Hospital Clínic in Barcelona, used those brief moments to give Pope Leo a copy of Learning to Die in Order to Live, the book that recounts the testimony of her brother Xavier Argemí, who died last year at the age of 29 after living with muscular dystrophy.

“He was a brother who loved life very much,” she explained. Xavier often said that he felt loved and that he also loved others deeply. For him, that love gave meaning to his existence.

His illness shaped his life, but it did not define its meaning. As his sister recalls, Xavier was able to accompany and help many people. After his death, many of them came to the wake. “He led a very holy life,” Elisabet said as she remembered her brother.

The exchange with Pope Leo lasted only a few moments, but it made a lasting impression on Elisabet. The Pope received the book and took time to listen to her. “He looked at me attentively, with interest and affection, like a father looking at his daughter,” she recalled.

The book also included a personal dedication. Elisabet had wanted to give the book to the Pope in Barcelona, but in the end she had been unable to do so. The encounter in Castel Gandolfo finally made it possible.

The gesture therefore took on a special meaning. It presented Pope Leo with the testimony of a young man whose life was marked by illness, but also by a simple conviction — the value of life does not depend solely on the circumstances in which one lives, but on the ability to love and to allow oneself to be loved.

Elisabet also recalled her experience during the Pope’s apostolic journey to Spain in June. She followed his activities closely, took part in the vigil at Montjuïc and joined the crowds in the streets of Barcelona during those days.