COMPASSION: Pope Francis Blesses Severely Disfigured Man Without Face (PHOTOS)
Saint
Francis: Pope Francis I took the time after his weekly Papal audience
in St. Peter's Square to bless a severely disfigured man
Pope Francis took the time at the end of his weekly audience to hug a man with a severely disfigured face.
The man received a blessing from the Pope, who has made a point of devoting time to greet and bless sick or disabled people at the end of the general audience, held in St Peter's Square every week.
Pope Francis I made the headlines two weeks ago when he placed a kiss on neorofibromatosis sufferer Vinicio Riva's growth-covered head.
Since he was elected eight months ago, Pope Francis has been seen to wash the feet of juvenile delinquents, personally call distraught worshipers on the phone and invite homeless people to dine at St Peter's Square.
Earlier this year, Francis tweeted to his 3.2million followers: "The Pope must serve all people, especially the poor, the weak, the vulnerable."
Earlier this month, pictures showing the touching moment when the Pontiff showed his compassion for Vincino Riva, 53, who suffers from neurofibromatosis - the rare disease said to have affected the Elephant
Man.
Pope Francis halted his round after the general audience and put his hands on Mr Riva, kissed, hugged and prayed with him.
Together in prayer: The Pope and the disabled man shared a private moment where Francis I gestured up to the sky
Personal connection: Pope Francis leant in to hug and kiss the man and give him his blessing at the end of his audience in the Vatican today
Bringer of joy: Pope Francis has made a habit of dedicating time to greet and bless sick or disabled people at the end of the general audience
Mr Riva said the pontiff's hug was "like paradise", adding: "He didn't even think about whether or not to hug me. I'm not contagious, but he didn't know that. But he just did it: he caressed me all over my face, and as he did I felt only love."
The so-called "Pope Francis Effect" has been credited with a 20 per cent rise in Catholic congregations in Britain, and similar boosts around the world.
New and lapsed Catholics are surging back to the confession box "by the hundreds or thousands", according to the Italian Centre for Studies of New Religions.
Act of kindness: Pope Francis (left) comforted Vinicio Riva, a 52-year-old Italian who had travelled to Rome for a audience in Saint Peter's Square earlier this month
In Italy half of priests have noted a marked rise in support for the church. The Italian opinion poll Opinioni reported this week that more than four in five Italians have a 'positive' or 'extremely positive' opinion of the Pope.
Spain, which had been experiencing a decades-long slump, has also seen attendance figures begin to climb since the pontiff's appointment.
Catholic leaders in France, the USA and Latin America have also reported growth in the numbers of churchgoing Catholics.
And Latin America - already the biggest single source of Catholic pilgrims to Italy - saw numbers of pilgrims to the centre of the faith rise by 20 per cent from the same period last year.
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