---
title: Pope keeps memorial card of late teenager in pocket during France trip
url: https://www.faithfulnews.com/en/pope-keeps-memorial-card-of-late-teenager-in-pocket-during-france-trip
published: 2026-10-02T17:50:40+00:00
language: en
section: World Church
source: https://fr.aleteia.org/2026/09/29/le-cadeau-que-leon-xiv-a-choisi-de-garder-dans-sa-poche/
organizations: Stanislas, I.Media, Aleteia
publisher: FaithfulNews
---

# Pope keeps memorial card of late teenager in pocket during France trip

Pope Leo XIV placed a memorial card of Tugdual de Scorraille into the pocket of his cassock during a flight to France, a gesture that provided significant comfort to the young man's parents. Tugdual died on August 26, 2026, at the age of nineteen after a sixteen year battle with neuroblastoma. He was the second of four siblings and had previously gained public attention through a 2016 documentary. His father described him as a determined child who never complained and who had recently been admitted to a specialized scientific preparatory class at the Stanislas institution in Paris. The teenager passed away shortly before the start of the academic year.

Cyriac Zeller, a journalist based in Rome who was traveling on the papal aircraft, initiated the exchange. Zeller is a distant cousin of Tugdual and had planned to share the memorial card during the traditional greeting the Pope offers to journalists on board. He noted that while other reporters often ask political questions, he focused on Tugdual because the young man's father had stated that Tugdual had promised to intercede from heaven for church vocations, unity, and the papacy. Zeller explained the brief life of the teenager to the Pope and showed him the card featuring the young man's photograph. The Pope listened and then tucked the card into his pocket, a deviation from his usual practice of handing received gifts to a secretary.

Hubert de Scorraille, the father of Tugdual, was unaware that his distant cousin was on the plane or that the card would be presented to the Pope. He learned of the exchange on Friday when he received a photograph on his mobile phone. The family was preparing to attend a youth vigil when they received the image, which they described as a moment of grace and the sign they had been waiting for. The father stated that the gesture alleviated feelings of guilt and provided assurance that his son was at peace. He emphasized that while the grief and sense of loss remained, the act brought serenity and hope to the family. The father also expressed the belief that Tugdual was present in a spiritual sense through the communion of saints, despite his physical absence from the youth event at the Stade de France.

## This story in other languages

- [עברית](https://www.faithfulnews.com/he/story-76)
- [Español](https://www.faithfulnews.com/es/el-papa-introdujo-una-carta-en-su-bolsillo-para-los-padres-de-tugdual)