Mother: Pope’s blessing of special needs daughter recognizes ‘segment of humanity often set aside’

Pope Leo XIV blessed Marie-Garance, a 10-year-old girl with multiple disabilities, during a trip to Paris on Sept. 26. The encounter occurred as the pope traveled in the popemobile along the Champs-Elysees before Mass at Place de la Concorde. During the moment, a police officer lifted the girl into his arms so the pope could lean toward her, take her hand, and meet her eyes.

Clotilde Noël, the girl's adoptive mother, said the blessing represented vulnerable people who are often set aside because they are different. Noël noted that Marie-Garance received the blessing with trust and a sense of surrender. Noël's other daughter, Pépa Teresa, also received a papal blessing that day, though she was not photographed. Pépa Teresa uses a wheelchair and has a slightly less severe disability.

The interaction became a widely shared image of the pope's visit to France. Following the encounter, the Noël family received a moment of silence and applause from those present.