Little Boy Runs Up to Pope Francis at General Audience

07 April, 2026

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Deborah Castellano Lubov

General Audience

20 October, 2021

1 min

Little Boy Runs Up to Pope Francis at General Audience

Pope Applauds Children's Courage to Approach the Lord

Pope at General Audience in Paul VI Hall - Copyright: Vatican Media

We must behave like children to enter the Kingdom of God..

After a little boy spontaneously ran up to him during his weekly Wednesday General Audience this morning in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall, Pope Francis gave this reminder.

The Holy Father was continuing his catechesis on Saint Paul’s Letter to the Galatians, focusing specifically on ‘Freedom is realized in love.’

The little boy had managed to run up to the Argentine Pontiff to ask for his zucchetto.

“In these days we are talking about the freedom of faith, listening to the Letter to the Galatians. But,” Francis reflected on the episode, “I was reminded of what Jesus was saying about the spontaneity and freedom of children, when this child had the freedom to approach and move as if he were at home.”

“Jesus tells us,” the Pope remembered, “’You too, if you do not behave like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven.’”

The Holy Father applauded their “courage to approach the Lord, to be open to the Lord, not to be afraid of the Lord.”

Pope Francis thanked the child “for the lesson he has given us all,” saying, “May the Lord help him in his limitation, in his growth because he has given this testimony that came from his heart.”

“Children do not have an automatic translator from the heart to life: the heart takes the lead,” he concluded.

“Thank you.”

https://exaudi.wpengine.com/pope-francis-our-greatest-gift-is-being-children-of-god/

Deborah Castellano Lubov

Deborah Castellano Lubov is Editorial Director & Senior Vatican & Rome Correspondent for EXAUDI (& Prior, for ZENIT); Author of 'The Other Francis' ('L'Altro Francesco') featuring interviews with those closest to the Pope and preface by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Parolin (currently published in 5 languages); Deborah is also NBC & MSNBC Vatican Analyst. She often covers the Pope's travels abroad, often from the Papal Flight (including for historic trips such as to Abu Dhabi and Japan & Thailand), and has also asked him questions on the return-flight press conference on behalf of the English-speaking press present. Lubov has done much TV & radio commentary, including for NBC, Sky, EWTN, BBC, Vatican Radio, AP, Reuters and more. She also has contributed to various books on the Pope and has written for various Catholic publications. For 'The Other Francis': http://www.gracewing.co.uk/page219.html or https://www.amazon.com/Other-Francis-Everything-They-about/dp/0852449348/