A mother put on death row for refusing to reject Christianity met Pope Francis at the Vatican on Thursday, just hours after she fleeing Sudan. Meriam Ibrahim was flown out of the country with her American husband and two young children. After an almost year-long ordeal that triggered outrage around the world, the State Department had been negotiating with Sudanese officials for weeks to secure the family's safe passage out of the country . Embassy in Khartoum for almost a month. That crime is punishable by death under Sudan’s strict Islamic law.Pope Francis met privately Thursday with a Sudanese woman who refused to recant her Christian faith in the face of a death sentence, blessing the woman as she cradled her infant daughter born just weeks ago in prison.
The Vatican characterized the visit with Meriam Ibrahim, 27, her husband and their two small children as "very affectionate.
The 30-minute encounter took place just hours after the family landed at Rome's Ciampino airport, accompanied by an Italian diplomat who helped negotiate her release, and welcomed by Italy's premier, who hailed it as a "day of celebration."
Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi said the pope "thanked her for her faith and courage, and she thanked him for his prayer and solidarity." Francis frequently calls attention to the suffering of those persecuted for their religious beliefs.
No comments:
Post a Comment