In early November, the news went viral that the Holy Father, Pope
Francis had embraced and kissed a man whose body and face were riddled
with boils at the Vatican City in Rome during a morning public
audience.
The man whose name is Vinicio Riva, has had difficulty staying on his
feet for long, and confined to a wheel chair said he never expected
that this kind act by the Pope towards him would go viral.
According to
Fox4 news his aunt Caterina Lotto said:
“We didn’t think we would be so close to the Pope, but
the Swiss Guard kept ushering us forward until we were in a corner in
the front row,” recalled Lotto, a woman in her late sixties with a quick
smile and an infectious laugh.
“When he came close to us,” she said, “I thought he would give me his
hand. Instead he went straight to Vinicio and embraced him tightly. I
thought he wouldn’t give him back to me he held him so tightly. We
didn’t speak. We said nothing but he looked at me as if he was digging
deep inside, a beautiful look that I would
never have expected.”
Vinicio has long been accustomed to the unkindness of strangers. He
suffers from a non-infectious genetic disease,
neurofibromatosis type 1.
It has left him completely covered from head to toe with growths,
swellings and itchy sores. His mother suffered from the same illness
before she died, and his sister has a milder version of it.
His aunt, Caterina Lotto, says his undershirt is often completely soaked in blood that seeps from the sores.
Vinicio, accustomed to stares of shock and fear, was initially
confused by the pontiff’s lack of hesitation. “He didn’t have any fear
of my illness,” he said. “He embraced me without speaking … I quivered. I
felt a great warmth.”
In moments of drama, odd details often remain vivid. “I looked down
at his shoes,” Vinicio’s aunt recalled. “They were like this,” she said,
holding her hands apart and laughing. “I thought yes, this is someone
who really walks.”
The entire encounter lasted little over a minute, and soon Vinicio
and his aunt were back on the bus, Vinicio in a state of combined shock
and joy.
“He was almost not himself,” Lotto said. “He was shaking.”
“I felt I was returning home ten years younger, as if a load had been lifted,” Vinicio said.
But life returned to normal soon enough. He went back to his job at a
home for the elderly, collecting and throwing out the trash, running
odd jobs. He works there on weekdays and in slower moments enjoys
chatting with the residents who don’t seem to notice his condition. His
preferred topic of conversation is the ups and downs of Juventus, his
favorite football team.
When I ventured to discuss football with him, suggesting he should
consider the merits of other teams, like Rome or Lazio, he was
dismissive, shaking his head and wagging his fingers in contempt.
Diego Munari, the director of the home, said Vinicio’s energy and
humor help keep the residents’ spirits up. He said, “Everyday he meets a
lot of people here who like him, who chat and joke with him.”
A few years ago Vinicio Riva boarded a public bus in the northern
Italian town of Vicenza. He went toward the nearest vacant seat but
before he could sit down the man in the adjacent seat snapped, “Go away!
Don’t sit next to me.”
“I wanted to answer back, but I controlled myself,” recalled Vinicio, now 53 years old. “I felt my blood pressure rise.”
He stayed on the bus, standing.
“There were lots of people on the bus, and they heard it all, but no one said a word.”
When Vinicio finishes work, he rides his bicycle back to the flat he
shares with his sister Morena. Aunt Caterina says he can be lazy when it
comes to preparing meals, and often prefers to make a sandwich to avoid
having to wash the dishes.
CNN Rome producers Hada Messia and Livia Borghese had been trying for
weeks to speak with Vinicio, ever since the photos of his embrace with
Pope Francis were first made public. Initially his family was hesitant,
but the encounter with Francis emboldened him. A change came over him,
he said. “I feel stronger and happier. I feel I can move ahead because
the Lord is protecting me.”
“Now that people have seen him they will be less detached,” said his
aunt, who also hopes the Pope’s embrace and the media furor it whipped
up will raise awareness about neurofibromatosis. She is worried that
cuts in cash-strapped Italy’s health and social services could impact
her nephew.
Vinicio savors his moment with Pope Francis, but says he still has unfinished business.
“I hope he calls me so we can have a face-to-face meeting him and I. I
have many things to tell him,” Vinicio said. One of the hallmarks of
Francis’ papacy has been to call people, out of the blue.
“What do you want to tell him?” I asked.
“That’s a bit Viniciote,” he said, shaking his head apologetically. “It’s between him and I.”
Vinicio has long been accustomed to the unkindness of strangers. He
suffers from a non-infectious genetic disease,
