Following his general audience in
St. Peter’s Square, Pope
Francis kissed and blessed the man, whose face was covered in
tumours, as he closed his eyes in prayer.
According to the Catholic News
Agency the man
was suffering from neurofibromatosis, a illness that can lead to impaired
vision, learning impairment and can be extremely painful.
The disease is genetic and is not
contagious.
During his earlier address at the
Vatican the Pope had asked people
to pray for a sick girl
that he had just met.
Pope
Francis has made humility the cornerstone of his Papacy so far and
has a stated aim of making the church more inclusive.
In March, following his selection as
the new Pope, Francis tweeted: “True power is service. The pope must serve all
people, especially the poor, the weak, the vulnerable.”
One of his first acts as Pope was to
visit prisoners at a youth detention centre near Rome. As part of a Maundy
Thursday service he washed the prisoners’ feet.
The image of Pope Francis
embracing the man
drew comparisons with the story of St. Francis of Assisi comforting a leper.
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