While my fellow American Catholics await their moment with Pope Francis, my own family already had ours, back in February while we lived temporarily in Rome. We arrived before dawn for the Wednesday papal audience to claim one of the cherished spots along the white barricades in St. Peter’s Square that mark the Popemobile route.
Still, we didn’t hope for much more than a good photo opportunity. Our young daughters clutched prayer requests and artwork “to give to Pope Francis,” but we did our best to lower their expectations, since the word on the street was that he only stopped for babies. Finally, we saw him ‘round the corner nearest us, smiling, waving, and, yep, kissing a baby.
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