Francis in High Spirits For Children's Day - In an Empty Stadium

Francis appeared at Rome's Olympic Stadium on Saturday to kick off a football match as part of the Vatican's celebration of "World Children's Day".

The cameras of Vatican television CTV couldn't hide the fact that many of the seats in the stadium were empty (screenshots below). Despite this, Francis appeared to be in good spirits.

The centrepiece of the event was a four-metre high "Cross of Joy". Its producer, Mimmo Paladino, said it mixed Christian culture and fairy tales (sic).

Earlier in the day, Francis held an audience at the Vatican with children from war-torn regions, including Palestine and Ukraine. He joked around and donned a baseball cap given to him by the children.

In his message for Children's Day, he wrote that "everything that is not new will pass away. God is newness. The Lord always gives us something new".

It is to be feared that the children may have applied this statement to their desire to buy a new mobile phone.

#newsQtrbkvvbjy