#BlessedByThePope: What Pope Francis told parents of sick child

When Pope Francis met with families at the "Encounter with Families" event at Mall of Asia Arena, he urged them to protect the family go out of their way to look for the isolated, the lonely, "and show them that God has not forgotten them."
 

And this is what Pope Francis did when he blessed some Filipinos with disabilities, and the families taking care of them, on his way to the stage of the event.

 

The Laos were one such family.

 

John and Gladys Lao brought with them three-year-old Brandon Emmanuel, who is suffering from pulmonary arterial hypertension with severe lung damage.

 

Like the Pope, Gladys said Brandon lacks one lung.

 

"We wanted to see him to know what's the best way to go," Gladys said.

 

They had tickets for two seats at a corner at the back column on the ground floor of the Arena, but they had wanted to go to the PWD section to get a closer to the Pope to angle for a blessing but they were not allowed.

 

"It's already filled up," John said.

 

They didn't realize they were about to receive a miracle.

 

When Pope Francis finally entered the arena to thunderous welcome, they were one of the families he saw.

 

Pope Francis blessed Brandon, who looked frail with oxygen tubes attached to his nose.

 

 

Then the Pope Francis told Gladys: "Do not cry."

 

Three words and everything becomes just a little bit easier to bear. —JST, GMA news