Pope Francis (R) caresses a sick person in Saint Peter’s Square at the end of his General Audience in Vatican City, 06 November 2013.
Pope Francis’s embrace of a man with severe facial disfigurement was the image worth a thousand words Wednesday, with the scene from St. Peter’s Square soaring through social media. In the pope’s prayer over the man, many saw echoes of Jesus’s healing of the leper, and the outreach of St. Francis of Assisi, after whom Pope Francis is named.
Catholic News Agency has more details of their embrace:
The man was identified as suffering from neurofibromatosis, which causes great pain and can result in paralysis, impaired vision, deafness, mental retardation, migraines and even cancer. Treatment of the condition is very complicated.
People with this disease – which is genetic and not contagious – often face discrimination because of their appearance.
As he carried out his typical greeting of pilgrims at the conclusion of the general audience, Pope Francis paused for several minutes to receive the sick man in his arms.
epa03937969 EPA/CLAUDIO PERI
epa03937958 EPA/CLAUDIO PERI
EPA/CLAUDIO PERI
Like St. Francis of Assisi, who embraced a leper, Pope Francis kisses a man plagued with a terrible skin condition: http://t.co/b8ydPlIip0
— James Martin, SJ (@JamesMartinSJ) November 6, 2013
Wow. The image of Pope Francis embracing the man with boils moves me to tears. Wow. Wow. Wow. @Pontifex #ThatsWhatJesusWouldDo
— fatima (@d1mps) November 6, 2013
The Catholic faith teaches that the Pope is the Vicar of Christ. After seeing these photos, it's hard to disagree. http://t.co/6obDgddOpR
— Christopher J. Hale (@chrisjollyhale) November 6, 2013
I'm not Catholic, but wow. This is what Christ was all about @JPFreire:Try not to cry when you see this image of love http://t.co/3dpTzMhIe7
— Michael Garner (@MikeGarner9) November 6, 2013
Update: More details from Catholic News Agency clarify that the man’s disfigurement was due to neurofibromatosis, not boils. This version has been corrected.
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