{"id":4619,"date":"2026-07-15T23:38:02","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T23:38:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=4619"},"modified":"2026-07-15T23:38:02","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T23:38:02","slug":"north-coast-homeless-advocate-meets-the-pope","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=4619","title":{"rendered":"North coast homeless advocate meets the pope"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<p>Betty Kwan Chinn Homeless Foundation founder Betty Chinn marked the end of last month with an auspicious occasion. Chinn travelled from Humboldt County to Rome and met Pope Leo XIV at the invitation of the Vatican.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=4617\">Major pop superstar performs at beautiful, intimate Bay Area concert venue<\/a><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s an experience she described as \u201camazing\u201d \u2014 in a very literal sense of the word. Chinn told the Times-Standard, reached by phone this week, that she was physically unable to speak for several hours after meeting with the Pope and then attending a mass with more than 10,000 congregants.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI still cannot settle down,\u201d Chinn said. \u201cI still cry. I still walk back and forth in my office. I feel so grateful for my life \u2014 so grateful. I\u2019m so grateful for the gift God gave to me \u2026 (and that) the people let me into their lives.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While a devout person privately, Chinn said that she had not been outspoken about her faith throughout her more than 45 years of work with the homeless. She said that changed after meeting Pope Leo and a profound sense of gratitude \u2014 to God and to the people in her community who have given her life purpose \u2014 compels her to acknowledge God outwardly.<\/p>\n<p>She also said, despite having met Popes Benedict and Francis on their trips to the U.S., that meeting Pope Leo was particularly impactful.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe was very kind, and he smiled not from the face; \u2026 his eyes smiled,\u201d Chinn said. \u201cAnd I was joking; I said, you know, \u2018how come you Chicago are so good? First Obama, now the Pope.\u2019 (Chinn was awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal by President Barack Obama in 2010) And I kissed his ring. Normally, I know a cardinal, a priest, they can kiss the ring. I didn\u2019t know I could.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Chinn said, at that moment, kissing the Pope\u2019s ring, she said a prayer for the people in her community, and acknowledged her gratitude for their support.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=4615\">Fugitive in Georgia murder arrested after evading BART fare<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Chinn said she was first approached in April with a telephone call to schedule a meeting with the Pope. Leery that she might be being scammed and having some difficulty communicating with the native Italian-speaking officials, Chinn arranged first a Zoom meeting and then an in-person meeting during a church pilgrimage in April.<\/p>\n<div>\n<\/div>\n<p>She said that church officials were familiar with \u201cThe Gray Bird Sings: The Extraordinary Life of Betty Kwan Chinn\u201d by Karen Price, as well as documentaries on Chinn\u2019s life.<\/p>\n<p>At that time, Pope Leo was traveling in Africa, but those church officials followed up with an invitation for late June, an invitation Chinn said her son \u2014 who was raised outside the Catholic faith \u2014 leaped at.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe said, \u2018Mom, I\u2019ll take you,\u2019\u201d Chinn said.<\/p>\n<p>Her audience with Pope Leo took place at 7:30 a.m. local time, followed by 10 a.m. Mass. By then, the Roman summer heat had risen into the 90s. Still, Chinn had no complaints about the weather, calling the experience simply \u201camazing.\u201d<\/p>\n<div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cMy faith is in my private life,\u201d Chinn said. \u201cBut this time, I feel like I can no longer keep it in my private life anymore because I have to acknowledge how much God, in my life, gave me. God gave me a gift and chose me and provided for what I\u2019m doing. But the most important thing for me to say is the people let me in their lives.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=4613\">Santa Clara approves funding for shelter dedicated for homeless families<\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>Robert Schaulis can be reached at 707-441-0585.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Eureka philanthropist flew to Rome to meet with the pontiff in June, an experience she describes as &#8220;amazing.&#8221;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4618,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4619","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>North coast homeless advocate meets the pope - 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