Pope Francis made a delighted Irish boy's dream come true when he wrote to him from the Vatican on Monday.
Little
Ethan Toner, six, whose only wish is to hug the Pontiff, was shocked to
receive the official letter and a blessed medal at his school in
Kildalkey, Co Meath.
The
letter, by Assessor Monsignor Paolo Borgia in the Secretariat of State,
says: "The Holy Father was happy to receive your letter and asked me to
reply to you. He is glad to hear that you turn to the Lord in your needs. His
Holiness sends warm wishes to you, your family and your teachers and
prays that you will grow in friendship with Jesus Christ our Lord and be
filled with the gifts of joy and peace. I am sending a medal blessed by the Holy Father for you."
The Senior Infants pupil had written to Pope Francis in
November but no-one really expected a reply to the letter, which was
posted in the Vatican by one of the school's staff Pauline Cogavin.
The
whirlwind fascination of the Pope only began last September when Ethan
got a little afraid on his first day back at school and went to an area
of reflection, where Pauline was working.
"He had a little
wobble and came to this space in St Dympna's NS. I had just returned
from a visit to Rome and showed Ethan a picture of me standing very near
the Pope as he gave a little child a hug," said Pauline.
"He
said that it was lovely and that he'd love to give the Pope a hug
himself. I thought no more of it until I was talking to his mum Lorraine
who said Ethan wanted to know everything about Pope Francis when he got
home later that day. He was fascinated by him. Ethan talks in facts so when he says he loves Pope Francis, he really loves Pope Francis."
When Pauline was returning to Rome last month, she asked Lorraine if she'd like her to bring over a message from Ethan.
"He
wrote in the letter that when he gets afraid or worried, he thinks of
Pope Francis and feels safe and happy again. He also wrote that the Pope
had a special place in his room where he said a prayer each day and
that he hoped one day he would get to give him a big hug."
Pauline
addressed the letter to His Holiness and posted it in the Vatican,
hoping and praying that they'd at least get a generic acknowledgement
back.
"I told him when I got home that while Pope Francis may not
write back because of the volume of post he gets, I was sure he got to
read it. I couldn't believe when the letter with the Vatican stamp
landed in the school on Monday but Ethan smiled from ear to ear when he
opened the envelope. He said 'I knew he'd write to me. Wait until I tell my mam. I might now get to give him a hug because he read my letter.' Ethan
is just the most inspiring, well-brought up child to be around. He's a
gift to us and his parents. So many children just wanted to go to the
Late Late Toy Show but all he wanted was a hug from the Pope."
An emotional mum Lorraine just couldn't believe the Pope had written to her son.
"I
came home from the school and I just cried. Ethan would be looking at
videos on the Pope and he'd be trying to speak in Italian. If the Pope ever comes to Ireland, we'll be up there," she laughed.