It is a gift parents could never imagine: a pope celebrating the baptism of their child. That is what happened to one couple at the Vatican on November 6.
Pope Francis administered the sacrament in the chapel of Casa Santa Marta—the papal residence—to a three-month-old Ukrainian baby boy. He is the last of ten children of Vitaly, 37, and Vita, 35. They live in western Ukraine, an area "relatively" safe from the war.
This is not the first time that the Pope has celebrated this sacrament in the chapel of his residence. In 2015, he baptized the son of his friend Sergio, a man from Buenos Aires who works in recycling.
SERGIO SÁNCHEZ
President, Federación Argentina de Cartoneros
For those who work in recycling, it is a source of pride. I am most proud of all to be here; that he can baptize our son—for us, it is a great joy.
Two years later, in 2017, Pope Francis once again celebrated the sacrament for 13 children born in the earthquake-stricken areas of Amatrice, Italy. The youngest was just five days old.
In 2020, the Pope repeated this gesture with two-year-old Siamese twins from the Central African Republic. They were joined at the skull and, days earlier, had undergone surgery at the Vatican's pediatric hospital, the Bambino Gesù.
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TR: KG
