Girl With Special Needs Rushed On Stage During Pope Francis Audience; His Reaction Was Priceless

Clelia

Manfellotti, a 10-year-old girl with special needs, took the stage while Pope Francis gave his traditional Wednesday general audience. The girl was jumping and clapping while the pontifice spoke with no discomfort.

The Pope made sure that none of the security agents who tried to grab her to take her back to her mother would touch her. "Leave her alone, God speaks for the children," said Francisco, when he noticed that the child had a disability.

The crowd applauded the child in the Vatican courtroom, while she jumped from side to side. "I

ask one thing, but everyone should respond in their heart: 'Did I pray for her; looking at her, did I pray so that the Lord would heal her, would protect her? Did I pray for her parents and for the family?' When we see any person suffering, we must always pray. This situation helps us to ask this question: 'Did I pray for this person

that I have seen, (this person) that is suffering?'" he asked.

He continued his catechesis reflecting on the sharing of goods among the first Christian communities. "Hypocrisy is the worst enemy of this Christian community, of this Christian love: that way of pretending to love one another but only seeking one's own interest," he said. "In fact, to fail in the sincerity of sharing or to fail in the sincerity of love means to cultivate hypocrisy, to distance oneself from the truth, to become selfish, to extinguish the fire of communion and to destine oneself to the chill of inner death."