Inspirational story of how one teenage refugee is given opportunity to meet Pope Francis

His tragic journey ends in a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity

Juan Jose Vasquez's tragic journey has ended with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet Pope Francis.

MUNTINLUPA CITY, PHILIPPINES (Catholic Online) - Juan Jose Vasquez had to escape his home in Central America to find refuge in the United States after his parents were murdered. The 15-year-old boy had to travel alone to find relatives in Maryland in an effort to escape the same fate as his parents.

Vasquez's journey started with a single text from his mother, consisting of only one word: "son." His mother, Rosa, and father, Edgar, were discovered along the side of a road in Guatemala. They had both been kidnapped by a Honduran drug lord and shot. 
His parents owned a family business making stone bricks. Their lives were simple in Guatemala. However, their family business, cars and construction materials caught the attention of drug dealers, and local gangs began to exploit them. 
Vasquez was unaware of his parents' involvement in drug transportation. However, Rosa began calling her sister, Marta Vasquez who is now Juan's guardian in 2012. Marta claimed Rosa wanted to kill herself. Rosa also told her sister again and again, "We need to get out of here."
After his parents were found murdered, Juan Jose tried to continue the family business, but he started to receive text messages from numbers he didn't recognize, asking if he wanted to transport drugs in the blocks. If he did so, he "could make a lot of money." Vasquez said "I never responded" to the messages. 

After the business failed, his grandfather's car was stolen and he received a note saying "if he wanted to see more blood, he could come try to get the car himself."
The threat to his grandfather prompted young Vasquez to leave. He hoped his absence would cause the drug gangs to stop harassing his family, so his grandfather gave him almost $1,700 to pay a smuggler to take him from Guatemala to the United States border. Vasquez planned to cross into America and head toward his family in Maryland.
Juan Jose believes it was God who helped him arrive safely into the United States. He knew the stories of unaccompanied minors disappearing in Mexico, so during his two-week journey he huddled with other teenagers each night and they prayed.
"We asked Him to accompany us every moment on the roads, because the road is very dangerous, especially going through Mexico. Of course it was Him who made it possible to get here," the teen said.
Vasquez was one of many penniless unaccompanied minors when he crossed the Texas border. It was situations such as Vasquez's that prompted Pope Francis to call the situation a "humanitarian emergency" that "requires as a first urgent measure, these children be welcomed and protected."
Pope Francis continued, saying "the children migrated alone, unaccompanied, to escape poverty and violence: This is a category of migrants from Central America and Mexico itself who cross the border with the United States under extreme conditions and in pursuit of a hope."
Erik Salmi, the communications director for the Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington, said Vasquez's story "represents thousands of other kids ... It is painful to realize that Juan Jose's horrifying life experiences as a young teenager are not unique."
Officials at CCAW organized Pope Francis' visit to St. Patrick's, where Vasquez will have an opportunity to share his story with the pontiff.
When asked how he felt to meet the Pope, Vasquez said, "Well, not anyone gets to meet the pope. It's hard for me to describe this feeling."
Because he often gets tongue-tied, Juan Jose Vasquez decided to write himself a letter to remind himself what to say when he sees Pope Francis. He wrote, "Juan Jose, you achieved it thanks to your efforts and everyone who supported you." 

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