Little boy steals show from Pope Francis
A little boy interrupted Pope Francis while he was speaking during a rally in support of family life in St. Peter's Square. The pope smiled at the boy as he continued his speech in front of a crowd of thousands.
In this photo, a young boy, no name available, hugs Pope Francis as he delivers his speech during an audience with families in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican.
AP Photo/L'Osservatore Romano
VATICAN CITY
Pope Francis was delivering a homily but a little boy stole the show.
Francis was speaking in St. Peter's Square about the important role grandparents play when a little boy walked up behind him and confidently climbed up and sat down on the pontiff's white chair.
The Vatican says Francis was surrounded by elderly faithful and their grandchildren Saturday night at a rally to encourage family life when the boy came up, wearing a striped shirt, jeans and sneakers.
Acting like an indulgent grandpa, Francis let the boy explore the area undisturbed before tens of thousands of people. The pope smiled while reading his speech as the boy sat in the empty chair, gazed up at him and even at one point clung to the pontiff's legs.