The Only Pilot Without Arms Greets Pope

VATICAN CITY, MARCH 23, 2011 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI greeted Jessica Cox, a 28-year-old Arizona woman who was born without arms, after today's weekly general audience.

Cox is a motivational speaker who uses her personal achievements to inspire others.

She is the first person without arms to get a black-belt in American Tae Kwon-Do Association, and the first person without arms in aviation history to fly with her feet.

Today, Cox gave Benedict XVI a medal -- with her feet --that testifies to her impulse to value life always and in every condition.

"It is a lifestyle that I try to spread to young people," she said to L'Osservatore Romano, "who live in desperation and without authentic values."