Papal Audience: the best part

The best part for me was watching the Pope personally visit with the disibili and their families. Above the Pope blesses two children. While still in the section reserved for the impaired, the Pope waves back to the crowd in my section.

Next follows a group of pictures that I call the vroom pics. It starts out with the Pope's warm smile.

My guess is that this child is developmentally disablled. He stands up on his chair to meet the Pope face-to-face.

Then the child gives the Pope a big old hug.

And the Pope hugs back.

Still hugging, note the red car in the child's right hand.

This child has caught the attention of a chair-mover.

Remember a few blogs earlier I how I commented on how the handsome Sediaro got a nun to move along. This is that same nun who is right now obscuring the best shot of the day. If you check out the Pope's face, his attention is clearly being drawn to something. At eye level I could see that he was playing cars (vroom) with the child in the blue jacket--actually drawing the car against his palm to make the wheels go round and round. My camera was resting on the fence railing, so all I got was this nun! :(

Soon, everyone's attention is drawn to the child-even the cameraman is grinning.

Eventually, the child's sibling shows the Pope a yellow bus. The Pope visits with the mom in the green top, they exchange an Italian baci (both cheeks) and then the Pope moves on.  The next individual was so impaired that the Pope bent down to give him a kiss.

Simply exchanging pleasantries.

At the end of the last row of the disabili, was a blind man and his guide dog. The Pope visited with both and petted the dog, although I don't have a good picture. The Sediari stayed to visit with the owner and the dog.