Mother: Pope’s blessing of special needs daughter recognizes ‘segment of humanity often set aside’

A photograph of Pope Leo XIV blessing Marie-Garance, a 10-year-old girl in a blue dress who has multiple disabilities, went viral after the pope encountered her in Paris Sept. 26. A police officer lifted the girl into his arms as the pope passed in the popemobile along the Champs-Elysees before Mass at Place de la Concorde. Agence France Press photographer Ludovic Marin captured the moment the pope leaned toward Marie-Garance, took her hand and met her eyes. Her adoptive mother, Clotilde Noël, told OSV News the blessing represented vulnerable people who are often set aside because they are different. Following...