Pope Allows Girl With Autism To Come On Stage During His Weekly Audience

Nov 27, 2019 by apost team

Even if you aren't a Catholic, you can't deny that the Pope deserves respect. As the most important figurehead in the Catholic church, Pope Francis always has the eyes of the entire world on him, even when he gives his weekly sermons in Vatican City. It's hard to imagine anyone ever attempting to storm or rush the stage while he delivers his holy sermons.

This is why it was so shocking when someone recently ran up to Pope Francis during the middle of his sermon, boldly standing right in front of him! However, before you pick up your pitchforks to defend His Holiness, keep reading.

Clelia Manfellotti of Naples, Italy, is a charming little girl who's always smiling and full of life. However, Clelia is autistic reports The Catholic Register, which means understanding social cues and etiquette can be a challenge for her.

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As Pope Francis gave one of his most recent sermons, Clelia grew bored. In the blink of an eye, the adventurous little girl bolted from her mother's side, running towards the stage. A security officer noticed her but backed away from apprehending her, unsure of how his superiors wanted him to handle the situation.

The guard's hesitation gave Clelia the opportunity to hop onstage. Another guard moved to grab her, but the Pope himself waved him away.

"Leave her be," Pope Francis said. "Leave her be. Leave her be. God speaks through children."

Pope Francis continued to deliver his sermon as Clelia stood in front of him. The little girl quickly grew disinterested in the one-sided staring contest and decided to instead start dancing around the stage, delighted by her image on the large projector.

His Holiness finally acknowledged Clelia's presence in his sermons as she danced around him. "[We all see] this very lovely girl. She’s beautiful. [This] poor girl [is the] victim of a disease and knows not what she does," Pope Francis told his congregants.

He continued with a message that pointed out what we all could learn from Clelia's dancing. Everyone's first instinct had been to pull her off the stage, but that was not the most compassionate thing to do. Instead, we all should ask ourselves whether or not we pray for children like her and whether or not we do everything in our power to help them be happy.

Clelia taught the whole world an important lesson about tolerance, understanding and compassion for the less fortunate. Show this story to your loved ones to remind them to do the right thing for those who are most in need.