The Pope received Noemi and her parents at the Casa de Santa Marta, as well as the Archbishop of Batalha who accompanied them. Noemi was hit by a bullet in a mafia battle in Naples in 2019. Little Noemi’s mother said, “The Pope told us that even if the Mafia destroys hope, you must keep going.”
(Vatican News Network)Pope Francis received Noemi Staiano and her parents privately at the Casa de Santa Marta on June 7th, as well as the Archbishop Domenico Battaglia of the Archdiocese of Naples, Italy, who accompanied them. ). Noemi is 6 years old this year. In 2019, she was hit by a bullet in a mafia battle in Naples. During the interview, Pope Noemi’s parents said: “The Mafia destroys hope and tramples on rights, but God will always be with your extraordinary children. We have to look forward!”
The pope’s brief speech deeply touched Noemi’s mother Tania Esposito. After the meeting, Tania stated to this news network, “This is an unforgettable meeting, a special kind of excitement. We still don’t believe that we have arrived at the Pope. We attach great importance to the meeting with the Pope, and our dream has come true. “. Tania is a strong mother, and even when little Noemi struggles between life and death, she is not discouraged. She said that her strength comes from faith.
Noemi was severely hit by a bullet and was taken to the hospital for treatment. When the doctor announced that Noemi was out of danger, the girl’s young parents had only one wish: to see the Pope. This wish has always appeared in their homes. Noemi’s family first asked the then Archbishop of Naples, Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, for help, but due to the new crown epidemic, all plans were broken. At the same time, the new archbishop of Naples, Domenico Battaglia (Domenico Battaglia), went to Noemi’s house and met Little Noemi. Tania said: “At that opportunity, we told the archbishop that if we could let little Noemi see the pope, we would be very happy. The archbishop promised that he would take Noemi to see the pope and do Arrived.”
Tania posted photos of the meeting on Facebook on June 7. Little Noemi is wearing a rainbow dress and a protective gear to protect her spine. She may wear this protective gear for another 10 years. Speaking of the meeting with the Pope, Tania said, “The Pope is a very simple person. They pray with the Pope. Noémi is studying at a school run by a nun and he can recite all the scriptures. Bata Archbishop Leah asked the young Noémi’what scriptures to read to the Pope’. She replied,’Recite the Madonna and Guardian Angels’. The pope took Noemi’s hand and prayed together. This is a very touching one. Moment”.
In addition, Noemi’s mother also said, “We told the Pope Noemi’s story, although the Pope already knew it, we also told the experience of this period”. The Noémi family presented to Pope Francis a small statue of the Pope himself, and a string of rosary beads brought back from the hometown of the Father of San Pietro in Pieterezina. They respected the Father very much. The pope gave Noemi’s family rosary beads.