Share these sweet stories with your children or students to honor and celebrate Pope Francis' legacy and affection for children.
The funeral of Pope Francis takes place today, and in his honor, we wanted to take some time to remember some especially sweet and heartwarming memories from his pontificate.
These stories would be good ones to share with your children, grandchildren, or students.
Or simply read them yourself to fondly remember our Holy Father for the past 12 years. And pray for him!
1Pope Francis made a child cancer survivor's wish come true with kiss, ride in popemobile
Pope Francis fulfilled a young boy's wish when he picked him out of a crowd and invited him on a ride in his popemobile. The child from Ohio, Pete, has Down syndrome and survived leukemia.
As a cancer survivor, Pete had the opportunity to ask Make-A-Wish to fulfill one of his dreams. He asked the charity to arrange a kiss from the pope. Make-A-Wish could not grant that wish, but instead fulfilled his second choice: a lightsaber fight with Darth Vader.
Fortunately, Pete got his first wish fulfilled -- and we can't help but think Someone with even more resources than Make-A-Wish was behind that. The Pope chose him out of the crowd and kissed him twice, then let him ride in the popemobile. The encounter was an incredibly sweet moment showing Pope Francis’ great love for children.
2Pope Francis invited people experiencing homelessness to his 80th birthday breakfast
On his 80th birthday, Pope Francis celebrated by sharing breakfast with eight people experiencing homelessness in the Vatican, chatting individually with each guest. He also sent birthday cakes to kitchens serving the poor and homeless in Rome. This simple gesture revealed his great heart of kindness for people who are marginalized.
3Pope Francis visited people in need, in all weather
Before becoming pope, Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio regularly ventured into the slums of Buenos Aires to bring food and comfort to the homeless … even in the rain! A parishioner from Buenos Aires recalled:
He would wander into the alleyways, even if it was raining, he would stroll through, roll up his trousers, and walk with the people through the neighborhood… It's not just that there are few priests who choose the shantytown, as he did, but that he felt at ease with everyone, just as the people felt with him.
He continued his dedication to the poor after becoming pope, establishing showers, barber services, and healthcare for homeless people right in St. Peter's Square.
4Pope Francis laughed when a toddler snatched his zucchetto
Three-year-old Estella Westrick almost snagged an impressive souvenir on her first visit to Italy: Pope Francis' zucchetto (skullcap). She snatched it when he leaned in to give her a kiss on the cheek after an audience in Vatican City. He took the incident in stride and can be seen laughing in the video. As always, he enjoyed spending time with children and got a kick out of their shenanigans.
5Pope Francis missed going out for pizza
Is pizza your kiddo’s favorite food? Pope Francis loved it too. Going out for pizza was one of his favorite things to do. After he became pope, he said in an interview that what he missed most was being able to go out to a pizzeria without being recognized.
A kindhearted pizzaiolo heard about that and decided to do something about it. During Pope Francis’ visit to Naples in 2015, pizzeria owner Enzo Cacialli ran through the crowd and personally delivered a pizza to Pope Francis in the popemobile. The Pope gratefully accepted the gift, and the whole encounter is just so delightful.
May we suggest going to Mass and then out for pizza in honor of Pope Francis today? That would make a very memorable way to honor his legacy with your kids.
