A heartwarming moment showcasing Pope Francis’s compassionate nature has gone viral once again. He is continuing his 23-day stay in the hospital after being diagnosed with pneumonia.
On Saturday, social media in Argentina shared a video from 2018 showing Pope Francis responding to a young boy’s question in the courtyard of a church in Italy. In the video, a child named Emanuele approaches the microphone to ask the Pope something but suddenly becomes overwhelmed with emotion and begins to cry.
Pope Francis gently embraces the crying Emanuele with his trademark warmth and offers comfort. After a moment, the child whispers something to the pontiff. With Emanuele’s consent, Pope Francis shares the boy’s heartfelt question with the audience.
Emanuele asked, “A little while ago, my father passed away. He was a nonbeliever, but he had all four of his children baptized. He was a good man. Is dad in heaven?”
In response, Pope Francis said, “How beautiful to hear a son say of his father, ‘He was good.'” He then asked the audience, “Does God abandon his children? Does God abandon his children when they are good?” And the the children shouted, “No.”
Addressing Emanuele directly, Pope Francis continued, “There, Emanuele, that is the answer.” He went on, “God surely was proud of your father, because it is easier as a believer to baptize your children than to baptize them when you are not a believer. Surely this pleased God very much.”
This video, filmed seven years ago, has since become one of Argentina’s most shared “Pope Francis moments” on social media platforms. Pope Francis, the first pope from South America and Argentina, has been hospitalized at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital since February 14 due to pneumonia.