TAMPA, Fla. — It was Oct. 19, 2022.
That’s the day Tampa businessman Ben Martin shook hands with Pope Francis. Martin is Vice President of Operations for Atlantic Merchant Capital Investors.
What You Need To Know
- Tampa businessman Ben Martin shook hands with Pope Francis in Italy in October 2022
- His handshake with the Pope only lasted seconds but Martin calls it "humbling"
- RELATED: Vatican keeps St. Peter's open all night for public viewing of Pope Francis due to strong turnout
“I’m grateful for that opportunity,” Martin said about the handshake. “It was a wonderful trip. It was a neat moment.”
A single photograph captures the encounter that, Martin said, lasted seconds. After all, the pope had thousands of people to see that morning. Then, Martin heard Pope Francis joke with someone nearby.
“And I was so impressed that he could think so fast on his feet, meeting so many people and he could make a joke right on the spot,” Martin said.
The trip to Italy was rooted in Martin’s Catholicism and a passion for clergy hats. Martin became so fascinated by the hats, that he had miniature hats tailor-made as gifts. Martin said the miniature clergy hats represented efforts to bridge Eastern and Western Christianity.
“And I thought this would be a great gift, a little souvenir kit of hats of East and West together,” Martin said. “And I gave one to the pope.”
Martin dropped it off at his office. A day later, he shook hands with Pope Francis.
Martin uses one word to describe it.
“Humbling,” he said.
Martin said Pope Francis could be polarizing, but he also said Pope Francis was wise and had a good heart.
He’s just thankful, for a brief moment, he got to shake the pope’s hand.