Pope makes child cancer survivor's wish come true with kiss, ride in popemobile
Pope Francis fulfilled a young boy's wish when he picked him out of a crowd and invited him on a ride in his popemobile. The child from Ohio, who has Down syndrome and survived leukemia, was visiting Rome with his family.
The family's tour guide, Mountain Butorac, who works for The Catholic Traveler, led the family to St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City. As Pope Francis passed by the group, he had his popemobile stop and he called the boy over. Butorac began filming as someone carried the child up to the pope. In the video, the boy's mother refers to him as Pete and says he was diagnosed with leukemia two years ago but "by the Grace of God" beat it.
Butorac's video shows the pope kiss and bless Pete and then invite him onto the popemobile.
As a cancer surivior, Pete had the opportunity to ask Make-A-Wish to fulfill one of his dreams. He asked the charity arrange a kiss from the pope. Make-A-Wish could not grant that wish, but they are fulfilling his second choice: a lightsaber fight with Darth Vader.
Pete, however, got his first wish fulfilled by chance. The pope chose him out of the crowd and kissed him twice.
Butorac posted a video of the encounter on YouTube. He says his good friend helped make it happen, but it is unclear how.
"Not a lot of people get to do that," Butorac told Pete after his ride in the popemobile.
"I did!" Pete replied.
"This morning, his wish came true, plus the ride of a life!" Butorac wrote under the video on YouTube.
