Father José Dabusti, a parish priest in Buenos Aires, Argentina, is at the heart of the miracle attributed to Pope John Paul I: the inexplicable recovery of Candela Giarda, 11, who was dying of a severe brain infection and pneumonia. 

Speaking via video to the Register, Father Dabusti remembered how he met Candela’s mother, Roxana Sosa, at Our Lady of La Rábida parish a few blocks from the special hospital where her daughter was being treated for Febrile Infection-Related Epilepsy Syndrome: “I started seeing a woman coming to Mass midday, and we started to chat; she came to Mass every day of the week, and she told me the story of her daughter.”

Candela, her twin sisters, and their mother lived in Panera, six hours from the capital. When the local hospital there said it could do nothing more for the child after three months, Sosa insisted on bringing her to specialists in Buenos Aires.

On July 22, 2011, Sosa rushed to the church, begging Father Dabusti to come to intensive care because doctors did not think Candela would survive another day. Together, they went to the girl, who weighed only about 40 pounds. Joined by two nurses, the priest and mother laid hands on the patient.

“I said a spontaneous prayer. I asked the Lord, through the intercession of John Paul I, to heal Candela,” recalled Father Dabusti. 

“It’s hard to tell … how did it occur to me to make this specific prayer? It was a terrible moment, expecting Candela’s imminent death in the context of pneumonia on top of brain disease. Why in this moment did it occur to me to pray to John Paul I and propose to the mother to pray to John Paul I when she was not familiar with him? This is the work of the Holy Spirit,” Father Dabusti said.

According to the priest, faith was the crucial ingredient: “The most important element in this miracle is the faith of Candela’s mother, and mine too, the faith that we offered. But most impressive was the mother’s faith, because she did not know much about John Paul I.” Almost immediately, the child began recovering.

Father Dabusti had a personal devotion to Luciani dating back to 1978.“I was 13 years old when John Paul I was elected,” he said. “Two things impressed me: his happiness — his permanent smile — and his great humility. I had a personal affection for him, which grew with his death. I placed a photo of him, from a newspaper, in my room among other posters.” 

“Since then, I always pray to him, that he help me be a good Catholic. When I started thinking about a vocation, I asked him to help me determine whether I should be a priest or start a family,” continued the priest.

“When I was ordained and went to St. Peter’s, I prayed at John Paul I’s tomb, and when others went to Rome and asked me if they could bring me anything, I always asked them to pray at John Paul I’s tomb that I be a good priest,” he concluded.

The devotion was not one he intentionally sought to spread, although wide publicity about Candela’s miracle cure might have encouraged more prayers to the “Smiling Pope.”

“I’ve noticed a movement in Argentina. People ask each other to pray to John Paul I, especially for the sick. There’s a reason for that. I’ve seen significant recoveries as a result,” observed Father Dabusti.

Candela, now 23 years old, is studying veterinary medicine. Father Dabusti remains close to the young woman and her family. He’s impressed by how they’ve handled the grace of divine intervention.

The priest recounted, “They were very discreet during the process and kept it a secret, even though no one told them to do that. The day the miracle was recognized, and Vatican approval became public, their local priest called me, amazed because he knew nothing about it. That was the mother and daughter’s wisdom and prudence.”