Little Noemi Staiano, wounded by a bullet for a reckoning of the Mafia-type Camorra criminal organization in Naples, met privately with Pope Francis in Santa Marta on Monday, June 7, 2021. Noemi was received in the Vatican together with her parents and the Neapolitan Archbishop Domenico Battaglia.
According to Vatican News, Tania, Noemi’s mother, described the meeting as “emotional,” during which they prayed with the Holy Father, who said to them: “Even if the Mafia destroys hope, keep going.” He also said that the “uproar destroys hopes, tramples on rights, but God will always follow the steps of His wonderful creature. Let us look ahead.”
It was “an unforgettable meeting, a unique emotion. We still can’t believe that we went to him. We really wanted to; it was a dream come true,” said Noemi’s mother.
After Noemi was declared to be out of danger from the bullet wound she received in the Piazza Nazionale, the young parents had only one wish: to meet the Pope, who was always a fixed presence in Noemi’s very devoted family,” adds Vatican News.
The Staianos appealed to Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, then Archbishop of Naples, but the pandemic truncated their plans. Meanwhile, Don Mimmo arrived, the new Neapolitan Archbishop, Domenico Battaglia, who wished to visit the family to meet the girl.
“On that occasion, we said to him that we would be delighted to have our daughter meet the Pope. He promised to bring her and he kept his promise,” said Tania, who published on her Facebook profile photos of the meeting, in which Noemi appears wearing a rainbow-colored dress, with her hair gathered in a rose diadem.
