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GIVE TODAY >>Not a dry eye in the room: Pope Francis listens to cancer-stricken girl sing 'Ave Maria' a capella
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On his final full day in Mexico, Pope Francis went to visit a pediatric hospital, where he blessed children and was blessed by them in return.
Highlights
Catholic Online (https://www.catholic.org)
2/15/2016 (1 decade ago)
Published in Living Faith
Keywords: Pope Francis, hospital, God, devil, Alexia Garduño, Ave Maria
LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Pope Francis' jam-packed trip to Mexico has been full of amazing moments, but perhaps the best so far was when he went to visit Federico Gomez pediatric hospital in Mexico City.
The children there greeted the pontiff with gifts -and one girl, whom the Vatican later identified to be 15-year-old Alexia Garduño, blessed everyone in the room with a song.
The song she sang was an a capella version of Ave Maria, which left the room in tears. Pope Francis stood next to her as she sang with all her heart, then kissed her cheek and shared a few private words.Garduño was diagnosed with a type of bone cancer called osteosarcoma and will undergo an operation on February 25.
Another child offered the pontiff a handmade Valentine's Day card decorated with a large heart on its cover."You made this?" His Holiness asked. "Gracias."
The children were all excited to meet Pope Francis. Some children in wheelchairs even rose to embrace the pontiff. Several asked him to pose with them as they took selfies and one child accepted medicine from a dropper His Holiness administered.
Pope Francis has made a point of visiting children's hospitals during his travels - and has a habit of risking his safety to approach large crowds specifically to speak with and bless children.He was filmed hugging children, ruffling their hair and kissing the sick kids.
His visits are often televised, but the Pope offers more private and personal visits to bedridden patients that remain off-camera.
Pope Francis returns to Rome on Tuesday, but he will remain in the children's hearts and memory forever.
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