Pope Francis’ Compassionate Moment with Sick Man - East Idaho News
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Pope Francis’ Compassionate Moment with Sick Man

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epa pope francis comforts person boils ll 131106 16x9 608?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1383786698246Claudio Peri/EPA(VATICAN CITY) — Pope Francis has made it clear he wants to be a pontiff who ministers to everyone.

At the end of his general audience at St. Peter’s Square Wednesday, the 76-year-old leader of the Catholic Church shared a compassionate moment with a man whose face appeared to be plagued with boils.

Pope Francis kissed the man’s head and then held him as he prayed.

“True power is service. The pope must serve all people, especially the poor, the weak, the vulnerable,” Pope Francis tweeted in March after a body of cardinals elected him to lead the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics.

In his first eight months as pope, humility has been a cornerstone for the new pope, who has made it clear he wants to build a more inclusive church.

In one of his first acts as pope, during a Holy Thursday ceremony, the pontiff washed the feet of 12 young prisoners.

Pope Francis has also chosen to live a simple life. He has declined to live in the lavish papal apartments, insists on carrying his own bags and has been known to tool around the Vatican in a 1984 Renault.

Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio

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