When Annabelle Vassallo was invited to receive Holy Communion from Pope Benedict XVI, she felt indifferent. Like many other Maltese, she thought the Pontiff lacked the charisma of his predecessor.

"I was not enthusiastic about meeting him," she told The Times yesterday.

So when she received a phone call while holidaying in France, asking her for a photo for the necessary accreditation, she did not worry too much that she could not provide it.

But last Saturday evening, Ms Vassallo, who has terminal cancer, was surprised to learn that somehow the accreditation had been finalised, and she went to pick it up late that night.

While the accreditation problem was solved, Ms Vassallo had just a few hours to find something to wear.

"I was spending the weekend at the Hilton and had not brought many outfits along with me," she said.

Coincidentally she had a black suit which she put on in the morning to go to the Granaries, a day before her 39th birthday.

But even as she sat down, she was still not excited to be meeting Pope Benedict XVI.

And then, she had a change of heart.

"During the homily, the Pope addressed priests and asked them whether they loved Jesus. I felt as if he was asking me the question personally," she said.

Despite her already strong faith, which has come out clearly in her recently published book Irrid Ngħix (I Want To Live), she admits that she feels limited in her love for God.

"There are moments of fear, even though my illness has brought me closer to Jesus," she said. Ms Vassallo said that on hearing the Pope's words, she started to pray to feel closer to Jesus.

In an emotional moment, she walked towards the Pope with tears in her eyes.

"When my turn came, I did not even look at the Pope, but just knelt down to receive Holy Communion."

Filled with emotion, she found it difficult to stand up, and looked up at the Pontiff.

"He was looking at me with a penetrating, compassionate and loving look and at that moment I felt like I was looking at God," she said, her eyes welling up. "I did not expect him to move me so much," she said.

In tears, she walked back to her seat, where the policeman sitting next to her tried to console her. "Suddenly, everyone was crying," she said.

Ms Vassallo, who turned 39 on Monday, has touched the hearts of thousands of Maltese with the story of her fight against cancer, with which she was diagnosed three years ago.

Since then, she has been living on borrowed time, and admitted that today she appreciates the small things that she used to take for granted.