Pope Francis paid a private visit to the László Batthyány-Strattmann Roman Catholic children’s home on Saturday morning where he met blind and visually impaired children.
The pope was shown around the facility where the home’s residents gave a short program and presented the pontiff with gifts prepared by them. Pope Francis received a blue-and-white and yellow-and-white small bag representing the Argentinian and the Vatican flag. He was also presented with a yellow-and-white rosary with a small Franciscan cross made of wood and two letters, one carrying the message of the home’s children in Italian and Braille and the other telling the story of the healing of a blind boy. Accepting the gifts, Pope Francis said thanks for “the tenderness” with which he was welcomed into the institute. “Thank you for the songs, the gestures, and your eyes. Thank you, mister director, for opening this meeting with the prayer of Saint Francis,” said the pope. The pontiff said it was a lot easier to mastermind various ideas and ideologies than “accepting reality just as it is, yet that is the way to follow the Gospel”.