Pope Meets With Children Suffering From Rett Syndrome

In a touching moment prior to his weekly general audience today, Pope Francis met with a group of young girls suffering from Rett Syndrome. The Holy Father met with the children in the Paul VI Hall.

A neurodevelopmental disorder, Rett Syndrome almost exclusively affects females, compromising neurological development and causing delays in language acquisition and motor coordination.

The Pope greeted the children and their families, caressing and hugging each child. Following the greeting, the Holy Father prayed with them and blessed them.

Vatican Radio spoke with several families present at the private audience, who described the meeting as “truly emotional.”

“It is definitely a strengthening in the faith,” one parent said. “It has been a very important day for us, for our daughter and for all girls who have Rett Syndrome. It gives a very different value to life, you see everything from a different perspective: their smile is enough to make us happy, and then the little things don’t matter anymore.”