Archbishop Blase Cupich sharing details of meeting with Pope Francis

VATICAN CITY (WLS) -- Chicago's Archbishop Blase Cupich is sharing details about his historic first meeting with Pope Francis in exclusive interviews with ABC7's Alan Krashesky, who traveled Sunday with Chicago pilgrims north of Rome, to the town of Orveito.

Archbishop Cupich and the Chicagoans took the pilgrimage to visit a cathedral, Il Duomo, which marks a miracle that Catholics believe happened near there centuries ago: A priest, serving communion, discovered blood coming from the communion host.

He traveled about an hour and a half from Rome by bus with the Chicagoans on their pilgrimage, and shared with Krashesky his experience of his private meeting with Pope Francis, the man who made him an archbishop.

"It was very nice, I was privileged and felt very privileged to meet with him, and it was great," Cupich said. "It was very uplifting and encouraging to me, and especially to be able to tell him about the great things that are happening in the archdiocese."

He wasn't looking at his watch, but Archbishop Cupich knows that he and Pope Francis spoke for a substantial amount of time.

"I felt very relaxed, he put me at ease, he was an individual, very simple and straight forward," Cupich said. "It was as though I was talking with a brother."

Pope Francis asked Chicagoans to pray for him asked about things were in Chicago.

"I told him it's a very vibrant church," said Cupich. "I think it was an opportunity for me to just to brag about the archdiocese of Chicago and the great people who live in Chicago no matter what faith they are."

Chicagoans also celebrated Mass Sunday in the chapel of a former monastery, La Badia, built in the sixth century. This is a spiritual journey for them, one they're looking forward to sharing with others back home.

"The whole purpose of this pilgrimage, really, I think, is to show the connection between the church in Chicago and the church here and how we are all united," Bob Shaw said.

"It has turned out to be exactly what we hoped it would be," said Vito Petruzzelli, of Oak Park.

"This is something as a young adult minister that I will bring back to share with my young adults," said Peg Barry.

"It really is a pilgrimage to deepen your faith, and I think it's a great opportunity for me and my wife to do that. We celebrated our anniversary last night," said John Ryan.

Now both the Chicagoans in Italy and the archbishop turn their focus to the highlight of this trip: the pallium Mass Monday, with Pope Francis.

"You have this sense that we're really a part of a new chapter and it begins with this pallium celebration (Monday), but I think that people are just feeling that something very new is happening in Chicago and in the larger world," said Father Jerry Boland, Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Glenview.

Archbishop Cupich is one of 46 archbishops receiving palliums Monday from Pope Francis, but he is not lost in the group. In fact, it was the Vatican that requested the archbishop's schedule, so they could fit in the meeting with the pope, perhaps a sign of how important the pope views Chicago and who he chose to lead Catholics there.

ABC7's Alan Krashesky will be at Monday's Mass and will have more on the archbishop's big day on ABC7 Eyewitness News.