Pope Francis blesses manger at General Audience

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Wednesday stopped and blessed a manger which came to his General Audience from the Villa San Francesco, a home for troubled children located in Pedavena, in the Veneto Region in northern Italy.

The manger – called a “cripa” in the local dialect - was created by a Muslim child Issa, with the help of sculptor Gilberto Perlotto, and was made with 208 pieces of wood coming from at least 103 countries.

The pieces of wood were not ordinary fragments, but had come from places of war, criminal violence, and natural or manmade disasters.

The Holy Father prayed in silence for several moments in front of the display after hearing the story of its creation.

After the young people from the town returned home, they received a phone call from a Vatican official stating the Holy Father was touched by the display.